
Qass. 
Book. 



COP'iHIGHT DEPOSIT 




TYPES OF BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN WOMEN. 



See p. 25. 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL 



A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRESER- 
VATION OF WOMAN'S HEALTH AND BEAUTY, AND 
THE PRINCIPLES OF TASTE IN DRESS. 



1 



BY 

ELLA ADELIA FLETCHER. 



" I want to help you to grow as beautiful as God meant you 
to be when he thought of you first." 

The health of women and the purity and elevation of their 
tastes, desires, and ambitions, set the standard for the race. 



NEW YORK: 

W. M. YOUNG & CO., Publishers, 
38 Murray Street, 



TWO COPIES R^ECEIV ED. 

I Ibrary of Congr088(, 
Office of the 

OEG 111899 

Register of Gopyrighta» 



BY 

W. M. YOUNG & CO. 



S£CONO GOPV. 






TO THE LOVELY WOMEN 

SIXTY YEARS YOUNG 

WHOSE NOBLE WOMANHOOD 

WINS BEAUTY FROM THE PASSING YEARS 

THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED 

IN LOVING ESTEEM 

AND ADMIRATION. 



CONTENTS. 



For detailed analysis of contents, see page-headings. 
For list of cosmetic and therapeutic formulae, see page vii. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

The Sources and Power of Woman's Beauty i 

CHAPTER II. 
The Evolution of Taste ^^ 24 

CHAPTER III. 
Health, the Corner-stone of Beauty ., 38 

CHAPTER IV. 
Physical Culture 70 

CHAPTER V. 

Correct Breathing and Walking: The Care of the Feet... 107 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Care of the Complexion , 132 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Baths of Luxury and of Hygiene .« igg 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Woman's Crowning Glory 243 

V 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IX. 

'page 

The Fascination of a Beautiful Hand »„ 299 

CHAPTER X. 

The Visible Seat of Emotion : The Mouth, Lips, Teeth, 

Nose, and Voice 342 

CHAPTER XI. 
The Soul's Window: The Eye 380 

CHAPTER XII. 
This so Ponderous Flesh and the Opposite Condition 409 

CHAPTER XIII. 
The Choice of Perfumes and their Preparation..., 441 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Principles of Taste in Dress and its Influence upon 

Character 474 

CHAPTER XV. 
Nature's Blest Restorer: Sleep 517 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMUL/E. 



FOR BATHS AND MASSAGE. 

PAGE 

Almond meal 145 

powder 324 

soap , 320 

Ammoniated lavender-water 225 

Amygdaline 144 

Angel Water 227 

Anti-rheumatic bath ' 215 

Aqua MelHs Odorifera 224 

Aromatic bath 2i i 

foot-bath. 121 

Lait Virginal 185 

Lavender vinegar 221 

massage emollient , 157 

salts-bath 24 1 

toilet-vinegar 223 

Astringent Lotion 331 

pomade. Dr. Vaucaire's 435 

powder No. i 126 

No. 2 126 

No. 3 126 

Bain de Beaute 217 

Pennes 213 

Basis of good toilet-soaps 220 

Bay Rum , 228 

Bazan's Pate Axerasive 241 

Beauty Cream 433 

Bernhardt's Eau Sedative ^ 228 

vii 



Vlll THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

PAGE 

Camphorated bath T. 211 

Cinnamon soap 321 

Cologne, Farina 218 

Cream of Pond Lilies 166 

Creole Oil 130 

Cucumber Milk .' 162 

Double-distilled rose-water. 226 

Eau de Bayaderes 22 1 

Beaute 162 

Cologne Supreme 210 

Framboise 223 

Heliotrope ., 224 

La Reine d'Hongrie 164 

Lavande Ambre 219 

Lisbon Celebre 219 

Romain 438 

Violette de Parma. ....... 458 

Elder-flower cream 157 

water. 226 

Emollient herb-bath 213 

powder 335 

cream for flesh-making 434 

English saponaceous paste 324 

Farina Cologne 218 

Florida Water 227 

Flower and herb toilet- waters 227 

Flower vinegars 222 

Formula for many toilet-waters 227 

Glycerine cream 334 

Glycerinated iodine lotion 178 

Guibert's Eau Incomparable. . 224 

Hanover cosmetic powder , 144 

Honey Balsam 174 

paste 145 

Hungarian Water 164 

Hygienic powder 177 

Iodine pomade 435 

Iris cream 158 

Kentucky cold cream 156 

Kneipp's baths. Father . 216 

Lait Virginal 161 

antiseptique ' 186 

aromatic 185 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULA. IX 

PAGE 

Lavender soap. 321 

water 219 

vinegar, Aromatic 221 

Simple. ,. ....... 220 

Lettuce cream . 158 

Lotion for hives, No. i 214 

No. 2 214 

Marsh-mallows powder 324 

Massage with oils ., 239 

for la maigreur 433 

Mellis Odorifera, Aqua 224 

Milk bath 211 

Myrtle water ......... 227 

Oatmeal bath-bags 212 

Oat-straw baths for kidney troubles 216 

Orange-flower cream , 156 

water 227 

vinegar 221 

Pate d'Amandes au miel 324 

Pommade Raffermissante 434 

Astringent, Dr. Vaucaire's 435 

Poncine soap : 242 

Poudre d'Amandes Amere » 325 

Queen Elizabeth's Hungary Water 163 

Reviving bath for the tired woman ^ , . . 217 

Rondeletia soap. 221 

Rose-water 225 

, double-distilled 226 

Royal soap ^ ... 322 

Saponaceous cosmetic paste 325 

Savon a la rose 322 

Sea- water bath 212 

Sedative herb-baths 213 

Sels de Plombieres , 214 

Simple lavender vinegar, 220 

Tonic pine-bath 216 

Vaucaire's astringent pomade 435 

invigorating bath , 215 

Veloutine fine 176 

Vichy bath 213 

Viennese Cosmetic Water 325 

Vinaigre a la Violette 163 

aromatique 222 



X THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Vinaigre de Lavande 221 

Primevere. 221 

des Quatre Voleurs 220 

Tonique 220 

Violet soap , . . 321 

vinegar , < 221 



FOR THE COMPLEXION. 

Acne lotion, English , 168 

lotions 167 

ointment 166 

Pokitoneff 166 

rosacse, Dr. Vigier's lotion for 181 

Almond Bloom 195 

lotion 160 

meal 145 

milk 160 

powder 324 

soap 320 

Ammoniated lavender-water 225 

Amygdaline 144 

Angel water 227 

Anti-Ephelide, Eau 171 

Antiseptique, Lait-Virginal 186 

Aqua Mellis Odorifera , 224 

Aromatic Lait Virginal 185 

lavender vinegar 221 

massage emollient. ... 157 

toilet-vinegar 223 

Arsenical cosmetic lotion 189 

Astringent lotion 331 

Balm, A harmless 192 

Magnolia , 192 

Violet 193 

Balsam, Honey. . . . , 174 

Basis of good toilet-soaps .- 320 

Beauty cream 433 

Beaut6, Eau de 162 

Bleu Vegetal , , 196 

Blue paint. Liquid 197 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMUL/E. XI 

PAGE 

Bleaching lotion. A Moyen-Age 184 

Famous mercurial ...... 168 

Gowland's 169 

Bloom, Almond ' 195 

Bloom of Roses , 194 

Boils, Mercurial ointment for 179 

" Camera " make-up, A 191 

Camphor-julep 278 

Carmine paste 195 

Chronic couperose, For iSi 

Cinnamon soap , 321 

Circe, Eau de 183 

Cold creams, The making of 155 

cream, Kentucky 156 

Cologne, Farina 218 

supreme, Eau de 219 

Comedone lotions 167 

ointments 166 

Compound iodine lotion 179 

Cosmetic lotion, Arsenical 189 

paste, Saponaceous 325 

powder, Hanover 144 

Water, Viennese 325 

Cream, Beauty 433 

Cucumber 157 

Elder-flower 157 

. Fossati 158 

Glycerine 334 

Healing . . 188 

Iris 158 

Kentucky cold , 156 

Lanoline 168 

Lettuce ' 158 

Orange-flower 156 

of Pond Lilies 160 

Sultana 174 

Cristrani's Mole-salve , 187 

Cucumber cream 157 

lotion 161 

milk 162 

Devoux, French rouge 449 

Double-distilled rose-water 226 

Eau anti-Ephelide 171 



Xll THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

PAGE 

Eau de Bayaderes 221 

Beaute 162 

Circe 183 

Cologne supreme. 219 

Framboise , 223 

Heliotrope 224 

la Reine d'Hongrie 164 

Lavande Ambre 219 

Lisbon Celebre 219 

Remain 438 

de Violette de Parma 438 

Elder-flower cream 157 

water 226 

English acne-lotion 168 

saponaceous paste 324 

Face-powder, — 

Flower-perfumed , 159 

Hygienic 177 

Talcum 159 

Poudre a I'OEillet 471 

d'Amour 175 

de riz fine 159 

Rondeletia 176 

Veloutine fine 176 

Zinc and chalk 1 76 

Famous mercurial lotion 168 

Farina Cologne .,...,. 218 

Florida Water , .,. -., 227 

Flower and Herb toilet-waters 227 

Flower vinegars. 222 

Foam, Strawberry 195 

Formula for various toilet- waters. . . , 227 

Fossati cream 168 

Freckle lotion 1 70 

Glycerinated lemon. . . 171 

Gowland's 169 

Hardy's.. 172 

Lavender 172 

pomade ..,, 172 

specific 171 

French rouge, Devoux' 194 

Glycerine cream 334 

Glycerinated iodine lotion. ... 178 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULA. Xlll 

PAGE 

Gylcerinated lemon lotion. 171 

mallows 182 

Mercurial lotion 169 

Gowland's lotion '. 169 

Guibert's Eau Incomparable 224 

Hanover cosmetic powder 144 

Hardy's freckle-lotion 172 

Harmless Balm 192 

Healing cream , . . . . 188 

Hebe, Pomade of 183 

Honey Balsam 174 

paste.... 145 

Horseradish lotion , 174 

Hungarian Water 164 

Internal remedies for pimples 178 

Invigorant, A Moyen-Age 185 

Iodine lotion, Glycerinated 178 

Compound lotion of 178 

pomade 435 

Iris cream 158 

Kentucky cold cream 156 

Lait Virginal i 6t 

Antiseptique 186 

Aromatic 185 

Lavender freckle-lotion 172 

Lavender soap 321 

vinegar, Aromatic 221 

Simple 220 

water 219 

Lettuce cream 158 

Liquid blue paint 197 

Magnolia Balm 192 

Mallows, Glycerinated 182 

Manipulation of cold creams 155 

Marsh-mallows powder 324 

Massage-emollient, Aromatic 157 

Mellis Odorifera, Aqua 224 

Mercurial lotion, A famous 168 

Glycerinated 169 

Mercury ointment for boils 179 

Milk, Almond . 160 

, Cucumber 162 

Mixing rouge for different tints , 193 



XIV THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



PAGE 



Mole-salve, Cristiani's 187 

Moles and moth-patches, Remedies for 1 86- 1 87 

Moyenage Invigorant 185 

bleaching-lotion 184 

remedy for wrinkles 184 

Myrtle water 227 

Naevi, Healing cream for 188 

Paint to conceal 188 

Paste to remove 188 

Orange diet for complexion , 140 

Orange-flower cream , 156 

water 227 

vinegar 221 

Oriental rouge , , . igi 

Oxide of zinc ointment 334 

Paint, Liquid blue 197 

to conceal naevi 188 

Paste to remove naevi = 188 

, Carmine 195 

Pate d'Amandes au miel 324 

Pomade of Hebe 183 

Premature wrinkles, For 184 

Pimple specific 178 

Pistachio meal 144 

Pokitonoff acne-ointment 166 

Poncine soap e 242 

Poudre a V CEillet 471 

d'Amour 175 

d'Amandes amere 325 

de riz fine 159 

Queen Elizabeth's Hungary Water. . . . , 163 

Red nose, Remedies for 1S2 

Remedies for moles and moth-patches 186-187 

Rondeletia face-powder 176 

soap 221 

Rose-water 225 

double-distilled .- 226 

Roses, Bloom of I94 

Rouge, Devoux' French 194 

au naturel 196 

mixing of, for different tints ■ 193 

d'Orient I94 

Royal soap . . r 322 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULA. XV 

PAGE 

Salicylic acid, To make 187 

Salicylated vaseline 166 

Saponaceous cosmetic paste , 325 

Savon a la rose 322 

Simple lavender vinegar. 220 

Strawberry foam 195 

Sultana cream , 1 74 

Summer rash, For 1 79 

Talcum face-powder 159 

Treatment for tanning 173 

Vaseline, Borated 387 

Vaucaire's astringent pomade 435 

Veloutine fine ^ . . . c . 1 76 

Viennese Cosmetic Water 325 

Vinaigre a la Violette c 163 

aromatique 222 

de lavande » 221 

Primavere » 221 

des Quatre Voleurs 219 

Tonique 220 

Violet Balm 193 

soap 321 

vinegar 221 

Water of Youth 183 

Wrinkles, Moyen-Age remedy for, 1S4 

For premature 184 

Zinc and chalk face-powder 176 

Zinc ointment, Oxide of 334 



FOR THE EYES, EYEBROWS, AND EYELASHES. 

Acute inflammation from cold 397 

Alum-and-egg paste 397 

Alum lotion 396 

Balsam Water to preserve sight 401 

Borated vaseline. , 387 

Camphor-julep 278 

Cherry-laurel lotion 396 

Chinoise, Teinture 391 

Citrine ointment. . , 394 

Corn-flowers, Infusion of 383 

Cosmetic Lotion, La Forest's 39I 



XVI THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Darkening eyelids. Kohol for 3go 

Other methods for ... 390 

Dr. Vaucaire's eye pomade 395 

Eyebrow and eyelash darkeners 389 

Eyebrows, Lotion for falling 387 

Mucilage for 386 

Eyebrow and eyelash tonic 387 

Eyes, Lotion for watery 402 

Eye ointment , 397 

pomade, Dr. Vaucaire's 395 

stimulant 401 

Inflammation, To heal and allay 393 

Infusion of corn-flowers 388 

Kohol for darkening eyelids 390 

La Forest's Cosmetic Lotion 391 

Lotion, Alum , 396 

Cherry-laurel 396 

for falling eyebrows 387 

for watery eyes , 402 

Sulphate of zinc 396 

Vinegar 395 

Mercury ointment, yellow oxide of 392 

Morphia treatment 394 

Mucilage for the eyebrows 386 

Ointment, Citrine 394 

Eye 397 

Mercury .... 392 

Quinine 389 

Ophthalmia, Treatment for 393 

Oriental eyebrow and eyelash darkeners 389 

Other methods of darkening brows and lashes 390 

Paste, Alum and egg 397 

Pomade, Stimulant 387 

Stye 392 

Dr. Vaucaire's eye 395 

Preventive measures against styes 392 

Quinine ointment 389 

Sight, Balsam Water to preserve 401 

Stimulant, Eye 401 

pomade 387 

Stye pomade 392 

Stye, Preventive measures. - 392 

Treatment of a 392 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULAE. XVU 

PAGE 

Sulphate of zinc lotion , . . , 396 

Teinture Chinoise 391 

Tonic for eyebrows and eyelashes 387 

Vaucaire's eye pomade 395 

Vaseline, Borated. 387 

Vinegar lotion '. 395 

Yellow oxide of mercury ointment 392 



FOR THE FEET. 

Aromatic foot-bath 121 

Astringent powder, No. i 126 

No. 2 126 

No. 3 126 

Bromidrosis, Treatment of 125 

Bunion lotions 123, 125 

Chilblain balsam, Lejeune's 336 

lotion 128 

(when ulcerated) 335 

ointment 128 

pomade, Mayet's 129 

powder : 335 

Chilblains, Treatment of 127 

Collodion corn- solvent , 123 

Cooling lotion for chilblains 335 

Corns or Bunions, Lotion for 123 

Corn pomade 1 24 

. remedy, Moyen-Age 124 

solvent 124 

Creole oil 130 

False nails, Lotion to remove 122 

Foot-bath, Aromatic , 121 

Foot-bath, Powder for 120 

Foot-lotion, Lavender 127 

Foot-powder, Orris 127 

Hyperidrosis, Treatment of 125 

Lavender foot-lotion. 127 

Legoux' lotion for moist feet 126 

Mayei's chilblain pomade 129 

Moist feet, Legoux' lotion for 126 

Moyen-Age corn remedy 124 

Offensive perspiration. To correct 126 



XVlll THE WOMAN BEAUTlFULo 

PAGE 

Orris foot-povvde-r . , o 127 

Perspiring feet, Powder for 129 

Powder, Astringent, No. i 126 

No. 2 1 26 

No. 3 , 126 

Chilblain 325 

for foot-bath 120 

perspiring feet 129 

swollen feet 120 

Treatment of bromidrosis 125 

chilblains 127 

hyperidrosis 125 

soft corns 123 

wounds on the toes 122 



FOR THE HAND AND MANICURING. 

Almond meal 145 

powder 324 

soap 320 

Ammoniated lavender-water 225 

Amygdaline 144 

Aromatic Lait Virginal 185 

toilet-vinegar 223 

Astringent lotion 331 

Bad odors, To cleanse from 331 

Balsam Honey. .- , . . . 174 

Basis of good toilet-soaps 320 

Blisters, Treatment of 332 

Bruises or slight cuts, Treatment of 332 

Burns and scalds, No. i, Lotion for 332 

No. 2, Lotion for 332 

Powder for 332 

Ice treatment for 333 

Chapped hands, Treatment for 333 

pomade for 333 

Chilblain balsam, Lejeune's 336 

lotion 7 138 

(when ulcerated) 33^ 

pomade, Mayet's 129 

powder 335 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULAE. XIX 

PAGE 

Chilblains, French treatment for 335 

Preventive treatment for 335 

Cinnamon soap 321 

Cleaner, French glove 339 

Cooling lotion (for redness and inflammation) 335 

Cosmetic gloves, Pastes for 338, 339 

paste, Saponaceous 324 

powder, Hanover 144 

water, Viennese 325 

Cream, Glycerine 334 

Cucumber , 157 

Cristiani's wart pomade 337 

Eau de Lavande Ambr6. , 219 

Violette de Parma 438 

English saponaceous paste 324 

Emollient powder 335 

Flower and herb toilet- waters 227 

French glove-cleaner , 339 

Glycerine cream 334 

Guibert's Eau Incomparable 224 

Hanover cosmetic powder *..... ... 144 

Honey Balsam 174 

lotion , 336 

paste 145 

Hungarian Water 164 

Ice treatment for burns 333 

Ivy-poisoning, Treatment for 333 

Lait Virginal 161 

aromatic 185 

Lavender soap 321 

water , 219 

Lotion for burns and scalds, No. i 332 

No. 2 332 

, A cooling 335 

Honey 336 

Stimulating (for moist hands) 331 

Marsh-mallows powder 324 

Moist hands, Cologne lotion for 330 

Powder for 331 

Stimulating lotion for 331 

Nail powder 329 

, Simple , 329 

rouge 32S 



XX THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Oxide of tin powder 329 

zinc ointment 334 

Pate d'Amandes au miel 324 

Pistaclaio meal 144 

pomade 328 

Poudre d'Amandes amere 325 

d'Oxyde d'Etain , , , 329 

Powder for burns and scalds 333 

Rondeletia soap 321 

Savon a la rose 322 

Salt- rheum ointment 338 

Soap, Almond 320 

A Royal 322 

Cinnamon 321 

Lavender 321 

Rondeletia 321 

Violet 321 

Rose 322 

Spermaceti ointment 334 

Toilet-soaps, Basis of good 320 

Treatment when nail is lost 333 

of warts 327 

Viennese Cosmetic Water 325 

Vinaigre a la Violette 163 

de Lavande 221 

Violet soap, 321 

vinegar 221 

Wart pomade, Cristiani's 337 

Treatment of 337 

White spots on nails. To remove 330 



PERFUMES. 

Absorption method of extraction. 452 

Aqua Mellis Odorifera ; 224 

Cloux fumantis 469 

Clove-pink, Extract of 459 

Cologne, Farina 218 

supreme, Eau de = <, 219 

Cyprus powder 470 

Damask-rose, Extract of 462' 

Distillation, Method of 451 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULAE. Xxl 

PAGE 

Eau de Bayaderes 221 

Beaute 162 

Circe 183 

Cologne supreme * 219 

Framboise 223 

Heliotrope 224 

la Reine d'Hongrie 164 

Lavande Ambre 219 

Lisbon C^lebre.... 219 

Violette de Parma. 458 

Eau Remain 438 

East-Indian method of absorption 452 

Enfleurage, The French method of 452 

Essence de Neroli-petale ... 464 

Extract d'CEillets 460 

of Clove-pink 459 

Damask-rose , 462 

Eglantine , 462 

Frangipani 461 

No. 2 461 

Heliotrope , 460 

Mignonette ' 460 

Pink , 459 

Sweet clover 461 

Tea-rose 462 

Violet 456 

, Pure 456 

Extracts, French 457 

triple 458 

Extrait de Pois de Senteur , 464 

Fleurs d'Oranges, Pastilles aux -. 465 

Frangipani, Extract of 461 

No. 2, Extract of 461 

sachet-powder 471 

Frankincense 468 

French extracts ... 457 

fumigating pastils. 465 

method of enfietirage 452 

triple extracts 458 

Fumantis, Cloux 469 

Fumigating pastils. No. 2 466 

powder 468 

Guibert's Eau Incomparable, .. . 224 



XXll THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Heliotrope, Extract of 460 

sachet-powder 471 

Hungary Water, Queen Elizabeth's 163 

Hungarian Water 164 

Imitation of violet extract 456 

Lavende ambre, Eau de 219 

Lavender sachet-powder 470 

water.. 219 

Maceration, Process of 452 

Method of absorption, East-Indian , 452 

distillation 451 

enjleurage, French 452 

Mignonette, Extract of 460 

Neroli-petale, Essence of 464 

Orange-flower water 227 

Pastilles a la Vanille 465 

aux Fleur d'Orange 465 

Pastils, French fumigating 465 

No. 2 Fumigating 466 

Peau d'Espagne. . . .. 467 

Pearls of Roses 468 

Perfumed Beads , 468 

Perfume sachets, a substitute for 473 

Pink, Pure extract of 459 

Pois de Senteur, Extract of 464 

Pot-pourri, Rose 462 

Poudre a L'CEillet. 471 

Powder, Cyprus 470 

Frangipani sachet 471 

Fumigating 468 

Heliotrope sachet 471 

Lavender sachet. .. .* 471 

Violet sachet . .456, 470 

Violet sublime sachet 457 

Queen Elizabeth's Hungary Water 163 

Rondeletia Odoratissima 460 

Rose, Extract of Damask 462 

Tea — 462 

pot-pourri , 462 

Rose-water 225 

, Double distilled . . 226 

Ruban de Bruges 466 

Sachet-powder, Frangipani 471 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULA. XXlll 

PAGE 

Sachet-powder, Heliotrope.. » 471 

Lavender 471 

Violet 456,470 

sublime ■ 457 

Substitute for perfume sachets 473 

Sweet clover, Extract of 461 

Tea-rose, Extract of 461 

Violet, Extract of , 456 

, Imitation of 456 

Pure extract of 456 

sachet-powder 456 

sublime sachet-powder 457 

sachet-powder ^. 470 

Violette de Parma, Eau de 458 

Woodland Violet. 457 



FOR REDUCING AND INCREASING FLESH. 

Alum lotion 435 

An appetizer 436 

Anti-fat, Iodine for ' 422 

Astringent pomade, Dr. Vaucaire's 435 

Atrophied breasts, To invigorate 436 

Balm of Venus. 438 

Banting reduction regime. ... 419 

Beauty cream 433 

Compound iodine lotion 1 79 

Cream, Emollient, for flesh-making 434 

Drinks, Infusion of brooklime 420 

chickweed 420 

Lime-juice 418 

Sassafras tea 418 

Lavender tonic, .. 61 

White wine and Vichy 418 

Dujardin-Beaumetz reduction regime 419 

Eau Romain 438 

Embonpoint, Regime to promote 436 

Emollient, Aromatic massage 157 

cream for flesh-making 434 

Eradicator, Wrinkle 422 

Fig-paste 63 

Forbidden drinks (in obesity) 418 



XXIV THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Herb drinks. , 420 

Iodine, Compound lotion of , . . . 179 

for anti-fat 422 

Glycerinated 178 

pomade 435 

Treatment 420 

Lavender tonic (internal) 67 

vinegar, Aromatic 221 

Lait Virginal, Aromatic 185 

Laxative powder 180 

Massage emollient, Aromatic 157 

for la maigreur 433 

Pommade Raffermissant 434 

Pomade, Iodine 435 

Preventive diet, French 421 

Reduction regime, Banting 419 

Dujardin-Beaumetz 419 

Dr. Weir Mitchell 424 

Sassafras tea 418 

Wrinkle eradicator , 422 



WOMAN'S CROWNING GLORY. 

Alopecia, Internal remedies for 273 

Aromatic lotion 278 

Arsenic prescription 283 

Bandoline aux Amandes 261 

Lavender 261 

Rondeletia. ... 262 

Baume nerval 287 

Bleaching methods 293, 294 

Camphor-julep lotion 278 

Cantharides tonic No. i 277 

No. 2 279 

Cinchona pomade 271 

Cologne lotion 280 

Color restoratives, — 

Arsenic prescription 282 

Eble & Pfaff's ..= . 284 

English darkening lotion 285 

Herb-tea lotion 283 

Nature's Restorative 286 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULA. XXV 

PAGE 

Color 011a Podrida Pomatum 285 

Restorer 285 

Restorative for dark hair 287 

Color, To brighten the, — 

for blondes 258 

for brunettes 258 

Peroxide bleach 293 

Cream, Lanoline 277 

Cream, Shampoo 258 

Curling preparations, — 

Bandoline aux Amandes 261 

Four simple home recipes 260 

Gelee Cosmetique 261 

Lavender Bandoline 261 

Portugal Fluid 262 

Rondeletia Bandoline 262 

Secretage 260 

Violet Fluid .« 262 

Dandruff, Cures for, — 

17th Century Remedy 267 

Dupuytren's Pomade 287 

Rosemary Unguent '. 255 

Shampoos and other remedies 268, 269 

Depilatories (for removing superfluous hair) . . .295, 296 

Diamond Dust Powder , 297 

Dyes, — 

Bleaches, for various colors , 293, 294 

Darkening Lotion for gray spots 286 

Henna Paste, for Red and Golden 293 

Mullein dye, for Black 293 

Oriental Henna, for Brown and Black 292 

Piesse's, for Brown, Chestnut, and Black 289 

Potato-skin dye, for Dark 293 

Pyrogallic acid, for Brown 291 

Rouge, for Red and Yellow 290 

Saffron, for Red and Yellow 290 

Soda, for Black 291 

Egg Shampoo 254 

English Shampoo 256 

Gelee Cosmetique 261 

Gray Hair, Preventive lotion for 274 

Herbal Oil ... 271 

Herb-tea Lotion. . . 283 



XXVI THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

PAGE 

Henna 292 

Henna Paste 293 

Infant's Scalp, Treatment of 265 

Jelly, Saponaceous 257 

Jaborandi Treatment 274 

Jaborandi Tonic 276 

Lanoline Hair Cream 277 

Lavender Bandoline 261 

Liquid Shampoo 257 

Lotions, — 

Aromatic 278 

Baldness, To prevent 274 

Camphor Julep 278 

Cologne 280 

English Darkening 285 

for Oily Hair 277 

Grayness, To prevent 274 

Herb Tea , 283 

Wilson's Stimulant No. i 279 

Wilson's Stimulant No. 2 279 

Wine and Iron 2S3 

Yellow Dock Root 280 

Macassar Oil No. i 270 

Macassar Oil No. 2 270 

Mercury Ointment 272 

Moist-hair Shampoo 259 

Oils,— 

Herbal 271 

Macassar, No. i and No. 2 270 

Portugal 271 

Pilocarpine Treatment 274 

Pomades, — 

Cazenave's Depilatory 296 

Cinchona '. . . . 271 

Dupuytren's 287 

Phoenix ^. 269 

Pomatums, — 

Vaseline 255 

011a Podrida 285 

Portugal Curling Fluid , 262 

Portugal Oil 270 

Powder for the Hair, — 

Iris , o ,. = . .0 = . 296 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULAE. XXVll 

PAGE 

Powder, White 297 

Diamond Dust 297 

Quillia Bark Shampoo 255 

Quinine Tonics, No. i and No. 2 , 276 

Restoratives, for baldness and falling hair, — 

Cantharides lotion 274 

Dupuytren's pomade - 287 

Five Internal Remedies » , . . . 273 

Jaborandi Tonic . 276 

Macassar Oil, No. i and No. 2 270 

Nux Vomica Tonic 279 

Pilocarpine Treatment 274 

Tonics, No. i and No. 2. 275 

Wilson's lotion. No. I 279 

Wilson's lotion, No. 2 280 

Secretage Curling Method , . . . 260 

Shampoos, — 

Cream 258 

Egg 254 

English 256 

Liquid 257 

Moist Hair, for '...., 259 

Oily Hair, for 277 

Quillia Bark 256 

Rhubarb and Honey, for Blondes 258 

Seborrhoea, for 268 

Saponaceous Jelly 257 

Tonic. . 259 

Wine and Egg, for Brunettes 258 

Superfluous Hair, Removal of, — 

Cazenave's Pomade 296 

Depilatory Paste 296 

Depilatory Liquid 295 

German Depilatory 295 

Piffard's treatment 295 

Tonic and Stimulating preparations: 
All Shampoos, see above. 

Biume Nerval ,0 287 

Cantharides, No. i ' ., „ 277 

Cantharides, No. 2 279 

Cinchona Pomade 271 

Herbal Oil 271 

Jaborandi 276 



XXVlll THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

PAGE 

Tonic Lanoline Cream 277 

Mercury Ointment , 272 

Nux Vomica Stimulating Unguent 269 

Phcenix Pomade 269 

Quinine Tonic, No. i 276 

Quinine Tonic, No. 2 277 

Rosemary Lotion 271 

Rosemary Unguent 256 

Tonics, No. i and No. 2 275 

Vaseline Pomatum 255 

Wilson's Lotion, No. i , 279 

Wilson's Lotion, No. 2 280 

Vaseline Pomatum 255 

Violet Curling Fluid 262 

Walnut-leaf Decoction 284 

Wine and Egg Shampoo 258 

Wine and Iron Lotion 283 



THE VISIBLE SEAT OF EMOTION : THE MOUTH, LIPS, 
TEETH, NOSE, AND VOICE. 

Breath : Perfumes and remedies for Impure, — 

Ammonia Prescription , 353 

Cachous Aromatisees ' 355 

Charcoal Tablets 375 

Lime Water 357 

Onions, Removing Odor of 353 

Oriental Lotions 354 

Pastils for the 354 

Pastilles Orientales 355 

Permanganate of Potash 373 

Canker Specific 373 

Lip Salves, Creams, Lotions, etc., — 

Astringent Creams 350 

Camphor Cold-cream 351 

Glycerinated Pomade ^ 351 

Healing Pomade No. i and No. 2 , 349 

Oriental Balm 352 

Peruvian Lip Salve. 351 

Stimulating Creams , 351 

Teeth and Gums, — 

Areca-nut Charcoal 366 



COSMETIC AND THERAPEUTIC FORMULAE. XXIX 

PAGE 

Teeth and Gums, — 

Areca-nut Tooth-powder 367 

Areca-nut Paste 368 

Aromatic Elixir 363 

Astringent Tonic Gargle 370 

Boerhaave's Odontalgic 374 

Camphorated Chalk , . ... 366 

Dentifrice Antiseptique 363 

Dentifrice Astringent 363 

Dentifrice Incomparable 369 

Detersive Substances 368 

Eau de Botot 365 

Lime-water Lotion 357 

Miahle's Rational Dentifrice , 370 

Myrrh Lotion 365 

Pomade Adoucissante ; 372 

Precipitated-chalk Treatment 358, 361 

Purifying Lotion 372 

Rondeletia Lotion 365 

Salicylated Mouth Tincture 364 

Savon Dentifrice 370 

Treatment for Ulcerated Gums , 371 

Tonic Tooth-powder 369 

Tooth-Ache Remedies 374 

Vigier's Eau Dentifrice 363 

Voice, For the, — 

Arabian Voice-sweetener 378 

Oriental Voice-sweetener 378 

Lotions to relieve hoarseness 378 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

Cucumber juice, To prepare 158 

Fig-paste 63 

Lavender tonic 61 

Lime-water, Preparation of , o . . . . „ 357 

Sassafras tea ,..„„„.. 418 

Water, Tests of pure . . . . » , . . . . 67 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL 



CHAPTER I. 

THE SOURCES AND POWER OF WOMAN's BEAUT^T. 

" Beauty is truth, truth beauty." 

" 'Tis not a lip, or eye, we beauty call, 
But the joint force and full result of all." 

"Time the shuttle drives, but you 
Give to every thread its hue, 
And elect your destiny." 

A NOTABLE change in modern thought is the entirely 
different attitude, almost universally assumed, on the sub- 
ject of woman's beauty. It is recognized now as a symbol 
of excellence withim, and with this recognition comes a 
sense of personal responsibility for its possession. It is not 
so very long ago that there existed a certain prejudice — a 
sort of aftermath of Puritan influence — against the endow- 
ment of physical beauty, it being looked at askance as a 
dangerous gift. And neither girl nor woman could have 
devoted the thought and time to personal care which is now 
considered necessary without being charged with the hei- 
nous fault of vanity. 

These end-of-the-century days, however, have freed us 
from the bonds of those narrow views which, totally mis- 
understanding the purposes of creation, looked upon all 



2 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

things which contributed to human joy as snares of Satan 
to lure the children of men to sin; and pursued unhappi- 
ness with a zeal which we might well imitate in our search 
for happiness. The latter is now acknowledged by ad- 
vanced thought to be a foundation-stone of health, without 
which beauty itself is but the flower of a day. 

More and more in our generation are we coming to a 
realization that Beauty's mission should be an exalted one, 
because of the dominating influence it exercises ; and to 
feel, consequently, that the truest beauty, that which is 
worth striving for, is an externalization of physical, mental, 
and moral excellence. Therefore we cannot overestimate 
the importance of its highest culture through the develop- 
ment of individuality and expression ; these being the quali- 
ties that most greatly enhance and elevate its influence, and 
at the same time impart to it an enduring and lasting char- 
acter. 

If there were a woman who did not desire to win afifec- 
tion and love, she would be an abnormal creature whose 
idiosyncrasy must be accounted for on purely pathological 
grounds ; with her we have nothing to do. It is simply 
human nature, a desire implanted in every normal woman's 
heart, to wish for admiration and love ; and as soon as the 
girl-child is old enough to feel this desire, she is conscious 
that the most important means to the end is to be person- 
ally attractive. Her very earliest observations and intui- 
tions teach her this fact: that Beauty's path through life 
is a sort of rose-bordered one, a royal progress ; . for to 
Beauty the world, big and little, high and low, pays hom- 
age. As the girl ripens into the woman, every experience 
in life teaches her that her share of its successes and pleas- 
ures will be in proportion to her own ability to win favor, 
to please, and that the first and most potent influence is 
physical beauty. 

Desire is one of the misunderstood forces of Nature. It 
fixes ambition upon an object for which to strive, but it 



THE SOURCES OF WOMAN S BEAUTY. 3 

affords not the slightest hint of the means which can aid 
us to achieve success ; and this accounts for the many lam- 
entable failures among those whose chief aim and ambition 
in life it is to be at least attractive, if not beautiful. 

Assuming that it is not only the natural desire of woman 
but also her duty to please, in order to succeed, she must 
train herself to a critical nicety of judgment in choosing her 
means to accomplish this end. Her grave mistakes are in 
supposing that imitations, shams, or subterfuges can ever, 
even transiently, take the place of real charms or genuine 
emotions. As it will be my endeavor to prove. Beauty is 
more than skin deep, and such flagrant artifices as paints, 
rouges, and dyes, made only more conspicuous by com- 
bination with Fashion's most daring devices for attracting 
attention, can no more imitate it than a fragment of win- 
dow-glass can imitate the diamond's lustre and purity. 
Every base substitute is sure to result in disastrous failure. 

But a resume of woman's mistakes i's unnecessary here, 
for the whole purpose of this book is to discuss them and, 
while showing the means of rectifying these, point out the 
correct methods of fostering all womanly attractions. The 
Mohammedans have a saying that " To Eve God gave two 
thirds of all beauty." Not without purpose could Divinity 
have bestowed such power and consequent responsibility ! 

" The question of Beauty," Emerson says, " takes us out 
of surfaces, to thinking of the foundations of things." And 
it is certainly doubly true that we cannot consider the sub- 
ject of woman's beauty and its cult without realizing that 
the first step to any accurate knowledge concerning this 
mysterious and dominating quality which exercises so pow- 
erful an influence both for good and evil upon mankind in 
every grade of life, is to study its sources and to seek in our 
turn to answer that bailing question, "What is Beauty?" 

So closely inwrought with the warp and woof of the his- 
tory of our race is the record of the influence of beauty 
that the two are inseparable. As far back as the chronicle 



4 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of human actions extends we find that the two forces most 
potent in moving the world, shaping the destiny of nations 
and the fate of men, have been beauty and gold. And when 
these two powers have been rivals, arrayed the one against 
the other, it has not been beauty that has yielded. But im- 
mediately we try to analyze this influence we find it is of 
two sorts : the one working disastrously for the progress 
of humanity, its whole course being marked by a fatal 
blight, like the trail of a serpent; and the other elevating 
and inciting to noblest purpose. 

This first sort of Beauty, of the earth earthy, animated 
by no interest or desire beyond the pleasure of the moment 
and the gratification of the senses, feeds its vanity upon a 
succession of victims, and raises them for one brief moment 
to heights of bliss whose very exaltation renders but the 
more fatal and irrevocable their plunge into the depths of 
despair that follow. " Dearest Nature strong and kind," is 
swift to avenge the perversion and abuse of her gifts, and 
Beauty that fails to recognize in its wondrous power a 
means to higher aims than selfish pleasure and the gratifi- 
cation of idle vanity, runs a swift course ; its goal, decay and 
ruin, — the inevitable result, the unavoidable penalty, for 
the reckless and mad expenditure of an endowment that 
was intended for good. 

Mere physical beauty without high moral worth is but 
a shadow, a phantom, its hold as fleeting as the intensity 
of the passion it excites; and its history " is writ in blood," 
in tragedy and calamity that spread far beyond the origi- 
nating cause; like ripples on the placid surface of the water 
when a pebble is tossed into it. The Helens, Cleopatras, 
and Lucrecia Borgias are examples of this fatal type. 

But when beauty of person is united to beaftty of char- 
acter, the restraints of a high moral purpose regulate the 
emotions and lay the foundation for endurance, while an 
intellect that directs the exercise of these rare gifts places 
its refining stamp upon all the contours of the face and 



THE POWER OF WOMAN's BEAUTV. 5 

lends a dignity and grace to every movement. These are 
the women who are the glory of history, of womanhood, 
and of our race. Ruskin says: " I could multiply witness 
upon witness of this kind upon you if I had time. I would 
take Chaucer, and show you why he wrote a ' ' Legend of 
Good Women,' but no Legend of Good Men. I would take 
Spenser, and show you how all his fairy knights are some- 
times deceived and sometimes vanquished ; but the soul of 
Una is never darkened, and the spear of Britomart is never 
broken." 

" Shakespeare has no heroes; he has only heroines," Cor- 
delia, Desdemona, Viola, and Virgilia, all are examples of 
loveliest women cast in the loftiest mould of humanity. If 
we go back to Grecian legend and story we find it gemmed 
with exalted types of heroic womanhood, each and every 
one of whom attained her influence over the hearts and 
destinies of men through the power of her beauty; but 
maintained it by intellectual and ethical force. 

Again quoting Ruskin: "That great Egyptian people, 
Avisest then of nations, gave to their Spirit of Wisdom the 
form of a woman; and into her hand, for a symbol, the 
weaver's shuttle: . . . the name and the form of that 
spirit, adopted, believed, and obeyed by the Greeks, be- 
came that Athena of the olive-helm and cloudy shield to 
whose faith you owe, down to this date, whatever you hold 
most precious in art, in literature, or in types of national 
virtue." 

When we try to find out wherein this magic lies, of what 
qualities Nature so cunningly compounds the subtle thing 
which men call beauty, we find that philosophers have dis- 
puted over the question ever since the minds of men have 
been occupied in solving the problems of life, and no theory 
that has been propounded has ever been generally accepted. 
Your dry scientist never trusts theories. He wants facts. 
Never having discovered that higher self which is as su- 
perior to the material; physical house it temporarily in- 



6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

habits as light is to darkness, he ever distrusts his feehngs, 
and has imphcit faith in his physical senses. What he can- 
not see he does not believe. 

The broadest minds, however, those which see beyond 
the dry facts demonstrated by science, and are aware that 
the most powerful forces of Nature are imponderable things, 
felt more than seen, accept as the clearest and most rational 
analysis of the marvellous power of beauty the claim that 
the secret of secrets is harmony. 

This theory points out to us that the same principle is 
the foundation of all art and of everything that appeals to 
the loftier emotions and gratifies the senses. It is the in- 
herent longing of the soul for harmony from which the 
cult of the beautiful springs. A cult which raises us above 
the mediocrities of life, the object for which all are striving, 
the well-spring of ambition, the spur to endeavor in all 
walks of life. Take this impulse out of it, and life would be 
barren indeed. Just in proportion as we are able to dis- 
cover beauty in the objects which surround us, are we in- 
spired to higher purpose and deeper joy in living. 

Although, speaking generally, the standard of physical 
beauty is geographical and varies with clime and stage of 
civilization, yet among the most highly cultured nations of 
the earth, where the ethical influence of woman is mcreas- 
ing constantly, we find universal consent given to the se- 
lection of the Greek type as the highest standard of beauty. 

Geometrical proportions, founded on lines which can be 
as exactly stated as tones in a harmonic chord, and which 
bear the same relations to each other, are the underlying 
principles, or primary laws, of all beauty. Just as the ist, 
3d, and 5th tones in a major scale form the tonic major- 
chord in music, so the circle, triangle, and square give ns 
by the law of harmonic ratio the exact proportions for the 
beauty which enchants our eye. The vibrations of the 
monochord furnish the basis of this theory ; and by draw- 
ing upon the quadrant of a circle a series of angles cor- 



WHAT IS BEAUTY ? 7 

responding to the ist, 3d, and 5tli of the musical scale, we 
find the proportions for a head of ideal beauty. " By con- 
tinuing the division of the quadrant to ten angles, and ar- 
ranging these upon any given straight line equal to the full 
length of the figure, the true proportions of the whole 
body are obtained." The theory is extended, also, to color, 
making the three primitives, blue, red, yellow, the har- 
monic triad upon which all the harmony in painting de- 
pends. 

But remember, in considering things animate, that the 
harmony of proportion in the human figure is only the un- 
derlying part, the frame as it were. Just as the musical 
chord must be heard to be enjoyed, so the harmony of mere 
line must be irradiated by the vital force, which softens its 
angles and undulates its curves, and the soul must stamp 
the flexile, sensitive muscles of the face with emotion and 
brighten it with the changing light of thought, before it 
becomes that thing of magnetic influence and power, all- 
conquering beauty ! 

Thus the harmony of form thrills the nerves of sight by 
a natural law of accord and vibrates upon them just as the 
harmony of sweet sounds does upon the auditory nerves. 
But though this, technically speaking, answers the ques- 
tion, it opens another. Of course there is the same differ- 
ence in eyes as in ears. 'Tis a trite saying that no two peo- 
ple see the same thing or hear alike; and powerful factors 
in determining our impressions from external things are 
sub-consciousness and the strength of the imagination, ac- 
cording to the development of which in the individual de- 
pends almost entirely the pleasure of the senses. Conse- 
quently, certain types of beauty afifect one person much 
more powerfully than another. 

Beauty reaches its perfection in the human form, and its 
utmost exaltation in woman. The very quality, however, 
which charms most is and must remain forever indefinable, 
for it is a subtle, intangible something that appeals to the 



8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

imagination, and which analysis can never grasp. This it 
is that makes soulless, doll-like beauty as evanescent in its 
effect as the sea-foam. Ethical and spiritual power alone 
can stamp enduring impressions, for they stimulate the 
imagination, whereas the mere gratification of the senses 
soon palls. 

Many are the forces, varied and complicated, ever at 
work making and marring beauty, considered in its purely 
physical aspect. Climate, diet, air, and water, — all are 
formative factors for good or ill ; and these are more or 
less under individual control. Half the world, however, 
live their lives in utter ignorance of their vast importance ; 
and it is not an ignorance that is bliss, for in respect to 
fresh air and pure water, alone, it results in a state of semi- 
starvation, from which the well-to-do and rich suffer quite 
as much as their poorer fellows. But back of these come 
heredity and prenatal influences, which brings us to the 
important question of personal responsibility for the im- 
provement of the race. 

It is curious that so many men — and women, too — in- 
terest themselves in the improvement of the brute creatures, 
and study laboriously the methods of crossing the seeds of 
fruit and flower to the end that the size and flavor of the 
one or the beauty and perfume of the other may attain a 
higher degree of perfection, yet never turn their attention 
to the effect which the same methods would have upon the 
development of the human race. In fact, to state the brutal 
truth, in a vast majority of cases pure selfishness, the com- 
fort and convenience of the immediate present, is the ruling 
motive governing men and women in their unions, and not 
a thought is given to the rights of unborn children. What 
legions there are of these innocent sufferers who, had their 
consent been asked, would never have come into this sor- 
rowing world handicapped with hereditary failings ! 

Earnest students of human science are a unit in giving 
their testimony to the belief in the formative power of 



HEREDITY, AND PRENATAL INFLUENCES. 9 

woman's thought upon her offspring. Melancholy, peevish, 
tearful women have fretful babes; cheerful, contented, 
healthy-minded ones are rewarded with happy children; 
the timid, nervous woman, starting at every, sudden step, 
brings into the world wan little infants that are mere bun- 
dles of shrinking nerves. Napoleon I. was born in a season 
of strife and conflict. His mother spent much of her time 
during the months previous to his birth in the saddle, well- 
armed, and prepared to use her weapons in self-defense if 
need be. 

In a well-authenticated case, from the union of two de- 
generates, a drunkard and an immoral woman, there de- 
scended in seventy-five years two hundred thieves and as- 
sassins, two hundred and forty-eight invalids, and ninety 
depraved women. Thus by injudicious marriages " a har- 
vest of discord extending indefinitely beyond the bounds of 
time " is produced. 

Emerson asks : " How shall a man escape from his an- 
cestors, or draw off from his veins the' black drop which he 
drew from his father's or his mother's hfe? It often appears 
in a family as if all the qualities of the progenitors were 
potted in several jars, — some ruling quality in each son or 
daughter of the house; and sometimes the unmixed tem- 
perament, the rank unmitigated elixir, the family vice, is 
drawn off in a separate individual and the others are pro- 
portionally relieved." This accounts for the occasional 
" black sheep " seen in famihes, often a source of great 
mortification to the other members, who fail to recognize 
in him a victim of vicarious punishment. Could they under- 
stand that their exemption from like faults was at his ex- 
pense, they would be more tender toward the failings and 
peculiarities of their " black sheep." 

The comfort and the recompense to woman when Nature 
imposes upon her so vast responsibility for the beauty, per- 
fection, and temperament of her child, is to be found in the 
weapon it places in her hand at the same time for its de- 



lO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

fense against the sins and imperfections of its forebears. By 
the power of suggestion — the earnest wish in her heart for 
the happiness and weh'are of the child to be — the mother 
can create in the plastic mind so-called '' artificial " instincts 
capable of holding in equilibrium hereditary instincts, and 
controlling ancestral habits. 

"It is easier to mould molten than to file cold cast-iron " ! 
and what is organized into us in a prenatal state is of vastly 
greater power in determining character than what is edu- 
cated mto us after birth. 

The expectant mother should fix her mind upon images 
of purity and beauty, and hold herself in a glad and happy 
atmosphere, letting her imagination picture the future of 
her child fihed with joy and gladness, usefulness and honor. 
She should be protected from all nervous strain or anxiety, 
and surrounded as much as possible with objects of beauty. 
One beautiful portrait, the impress of which is fixed firmly 
in the mother's mind, is sufficient to determine the features 
of the unborn child; a fact which has been demonstrated 
repeatedly. The mother is repaid many-fold for the exer- 
cise of self-control in the matter of fear and anxiety and 
avoidance of all nervous excitement by the serenity of her 
infant, who will thus start in the race of life with one, at 
least, of the prime factors for health and success. 

To enforce this caution, here is an instance of the painful 
results of mental and nervous excitement : Students of 
heredity have remarked that the children whose existence 
dated from the horrors of the first French Revolution 
" turned out to be weak, nervous, and irritable of mind, ex- 
tremely susceptible of impressions, and liable to be thrown 
by the least extraordinary excitement into absolute in- 
sanity." 

Alternation of town and country life is the best means 
to promote, maintain, and preserve successive generations 
of robust, brilliant, and fine-looking men and women ; the 
outdoor life, with its freedom and cpiiet, restoring the equi- 



THE COMING RACE. II 

librium disturbed by the nervous strain from the rush and 
turmoil of town life. This follows the law that variety and 
change improve the health and hence promote beauty, and 
it has been remarked that prolonged continuance of a race 
under the same conditions tends to deterioration. 

In some parts of Ireland where the Celtic population is 
almost unmixed, the people are short in stature and have 
small limbs and features, — an almost stunted growth ; but 
in other counties where they have intermarried with Eng- 
lish or with the Lowlanders of Scotland the race is greatly 
improved. The Scotch-Irish are remarkable for fine, tall 
figures, and possess great physical energy. The famous 
Irish beauties owe their charm and esprit to this crossing 
of races ; and one of their most unusual types is that in 
which the loveliness of the Northern and the Southern 
peoples mingles, producing black hair with blue eyes, a 
glowing red-and-white complexion, and divinely tall, svelte 
figures. 

Where the Russians and Tartars haVe intermixed with 
the Mongolians, a race of superior physical characteristics 
has developed; and the result of intermarriages in Para- 
guay between the natives and the Spaniards has produced 
a people said to be superior in physical qualities to either 
of the originating races. The leaders of thought and enter- 
prise to-day in Mexico sprang from this mingling of good 
Caucasian and good Indian blood. President Diaz, under 
whose leadership Mexico has made such vast strides for- 
ward, and from being one of the worst-governed has be- 
come one of the best-governed, most progressive, and most 
prosperous nations in the world, is himself half-Indian, 
while his talented and beautiful wife is said to have even 
a higher proportion of Indian blood in her veins. 

The prophecy has gone forth that the coming race, which 
is to be the flower of mankind, evolved from all the other 
dominating peoples, will be nurtured by the Pacific Coast. Al- 
ready students of ethnology see in the natives of California 



12 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

a near approach to this coming nniversal type. Several 
factors support this hypothesis and account for the phe- 
nomenon upon which it is based. The pioneers of the 
Golden State were men and women of quite exceptional 
physical vigor and strong mentality, and the hardships of 
the journey to that land of promise in those early days, 
as well as the first years of life in the new country, were 
so great that it was only the very elect of these who sur- 
vived. Thus Nature in cutting down the weak and pre- 
serving the strong laid the corner-stone in her foundation 
for a physically perfect race. These original settlers were 
not alone the most energetic and enterprising people from 
the Eastern States, but also hardy adventurers from every 
clime and nation. For this reason the admixture of foreign 
blood in California is more complete and more complex 
than elsewhere in the United States. Every European type 
and nationality is represented. 

Though the wherefore is still a mystery, the beneficial 
results of this crossing of races has long been recognized, 
and in California to-day the descendants of these mixed an- 
cestors are pronounced the highest type, mentally and 
physically, of humanity on earth. Professor McGee, of the 
United States Bureau of Ethnology, says : " In California 
the intellectual elegance is on a par with the physical, but 
impresses me as more symmetric than sporadic. California 
has not produced many noted geniuses, but a vast number 
of its people are of more than average intellect." 

The wonderful climate of the Pacific slope has also con- 
tributed no small part toward this physical superiority ; for 
its genial nature favors outdoor life, and the perfume-laden 
breezes, wafted over its boundless wealth of aromatic herbs 
and blossoms, are both tonic and sedative to the nerves, 
while they stimulate the imagination and make every breath 
a joy. There are regions in the temperate middle coast and 
the foot-hills of the Sierras which are more favorable to the 
enjoyment of absolute physical health than any other part 



CLIMATIC INFLUENCES. 13 

of the world. It has been well-named the country for 
women and roses, for nowhere are they developed in greater 
beauty and perfection. The women are tall of stature, 
graceful and lithe, by virtue of the elixir inhaled with every 
breath in the open; have " cheeks and throats that take no 
shame beside the roses that they wear, lips that have the 
true ruby gleam of health and pure blood, and eyes of starry 
fire." 

If a nearly perfect climate produces such results, it fol- 
lows that the temperate zones are more favorable to health 
and consequently beauty than extremes of either heat or 
cold. Beauty, however, basks in warmth and genial skies, 
and can better endure a high temperature than a low one. 
Nothing so disturbs the circulation of woman as prolonged 
exposure to severe cold. She should never allow her feet 
or hands to become stingingly cold, and to sit in a cold 
room till " chilled to the marrow " is to woo sickness and 
a bad complexion. 

In our Northern clime, women and girls sow the seeds 
of disorder in the early autumn evenings when the first 
sharp frosts come. The tingle in the air is enjoyed by some, 
but the benefit of its stimulating ozone is lost if the body 
be not well protected against its chilling influence. I am 
far from inculcating over-care, or advocating measures 
which would render anyone weakly sensitive to exposure. 
These are simply the precautions which protect and con- 
sequently render stronger. Abundance of fresh air and pure 
water are the first essentials for health, building up strong 
bodies of materials so pure as to manifest themselves in ex- 
ternal beauty; and daily exercise, in sunshine or rain, ren- 
ders these bodies supple and graceful. 

When the women of a region are specially noted for their 
fine complexions, investigation proves that the water-sup- 
ply of the locality is of unusual purity. Next to the air we 
breathe, no one thing has so powerful an influence upon 
the structure of our bodies and the texture of the flesh as 



14 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the water we drink. To the prevalence of Hme-water in 
Texas and Kentucky has been attributed the unusually tall 
stature of their people. Emerson says: "It is the sound- 
ness of the bones that ultimates itself in a peach-bloom 
complexion ; health of constitution that makes the sparkle 
and the power of the eye. 'Tis the adjustment of the size 
and of the joining of the sockets of the skeleton that gives 
grace of outline and the finer grace of movement." 

Whether beauty be as evanescent as the legendary vapor 
which Psyche brought from Hades when sent there by the 
gods for a fragment of the alluring thing, depends alto- 
gether upon the mental and moral qualities of its posses- 
sor. The highest development of physical beauty is the 
result of correct living and high thinking, and without 
these the most exalted type that chances to be bodied 
forth in flesh and blood must prove almost as ephemeral 
as a passing dream. The most exquisitely moulded fea- 
tures if devoid of intelligence would arouse aversion, and 
the soulless face excites this emotion in only a lesser de- 
gree; for " Every spirit makes its house, and we can give a 
shrewd guess from the house to the inhabitant." 

The first lesson to be learned, therefore, by the girl or 
woman who seeks the development of her own beauty, is 
that enduring beauty comes from within, that lovely 
thoughts create curves of loveliness in face and form, and 
that the more susceptible she becomes to their elevating 
influence, the greater is their vitality, and the more efTec— 
itve the work of the refining chisel. A keen and sympa- 
thetic interest in humanity, an appreciation of all that is 
great and good, and a broad charity for its faults and fol- 
lies, — these are subjects that open to the mind a wider hori- 
zon and enable us to see beyond the belittling cares of 
life, which, though they be but mole-hills, assume, when, 
dwelt upon, the proportions of a mountain. 

Don't study so much the shape of your nose as the 
thought which brings a sparkle to your eye; cultivate an 



A TRINITY OF BEAUTIFIERS. I5 

intimate knowledge with the emotions which chronicle 
themselves in attractive curves in your all-too-plastic fea- 
tures. 

"Thoughts are like atoms, fashioned by the will; 
Each has a mission charged with good or ill; 
Sometimes to bless; anon to desolate; 
Love's messenger; or harbinger of fate." 

Happiness is a marvellously effective sculptor, and the 
secret of it lies within ourselves ; faith, love, and charity are 
a trinity of beautifiers that shape and perfect a character 
of such charm that it makes a plain face lovely and a beau- 
tiful one simply irresistible. 

Of all the moulding forces ever at work making and 
marring beauty, none rewards its assiduous cultivation with 
such usurious interest as that of spiritual activity. It is 
the link within us which connects us with divinity, and, 
therefore, the source of all vital energy; and under its in- 
fluence mental and physical health and growth are as spon- 
taneous as the germinating of seeds in the warm bosom of 
Mother Earth under the glowing rays of the sun. The 
dwarfing of the soul is the dwarfing of the body; in its de- 
velopment lies every woman's freedom from the chains of 
self which confine her to the petty irritations and sordid 
interests that strew her daily path and seam her face with 
haunting wrinkles. 

Soul-force, which is inexhaustible and increases in power 
in direct ratio to its use, is the great irradiator. From it 
spring enthusiasm for all good purpose and high endeavor 
which illuminate the whole face with that light that never 
dies. This is the secret of " The divinity within us that 
makes the divinity without." 

One of the most beautiful women of this century was 
Queen Louise of Prussia, and in mature life this noble 
tribute was paid her by her brother: " My heart tells me 
that the ravishing beauty with which nature has endowed 



l6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

you is only the reflection of an adorable soul. . . . We all 
look upon you as the embodiment of perfect love and per- 
fect goodness." The well-known New York artist ^Ir. J. 
Wells Champney gives as his ideal of the highest beauty, 
*' Not the perfectly modelled face, but one that is mobile 
enough to reflect each passing thought; a face like pellucid 
water in the sunlight; one that is merely a veil over the 
soul." 

And Ruskin, than whom, perhaps, no student of art and 
humanity ever studied more thoroughly or from a higher 
plane the subject of woman's beauty and influence, summed 
up what he considered ''a perfect description of.w^omanly 
beauty " in these words : 

" A countenance in which did meet 
Sweet records, promises as sweet." 

Health, beauty, intelligence, and goodness form an in- 
fluence before which all humanity bows in homage and 
obedience. To it nothing is denied, and it acts as an elec- 
tric force upon all sensitive temperaments; stimulating 
genius to its most dazzling achievements, and rousing 
lower natures to climb to greater heights of thought and 
effort. 

"To the materialistic philosopher," says that introspec- 
tive writer, ]\r. Amiel, " the beautiful is a mere accident 
and therefore rare. To the spiritualist philosopher the 
beautiful is the rule, the law, the universal foundation of 
things, to which every form returns as soon as the force of 
accident is withdrawn. AMiy are we ugly? Because we are 
not in the angelic state, because we are evil, morose, and 
unhappy. 

'' Heroism, ecstasy, prayer, love, enthusiasm, weave a 
halo round the brow, for the}^ are a setting-free of the soul, 
which through them gains force to make its envelope 
transparent and shine through upon all around it. Beauty 
is, then, a phenomenon belonging to the spiritualization of 



THE SECRET OF CHARM. I7 

niattei. ... As a powerful electric current can render 
metals luminous, and reveal their essence by the color of 
their flames, so intense life and supreme joy can make the 
most simple mortal dazzlingly beautiful. Man, therefore, 
is never more truly man than in these divine states." 

'' Man " is used here in a generic sense, meaning all man- 
kind, and the assertion applies especially to woman, whose 
veil of mortal flesh is so much more transparent than her 
brother's, and consequently reflects so much more vividly 
every emotion of her soul. 

It may seem a contradiction, but it is possible to be love- 
ly without being beautiful; and that personal attribute 
which carries all before it with the same irresistible force 
as beauty, fascination, is largely the result of culture. 
Don't think for a moment that it is a mere trick of grace- 
ful poses or wherewithal you shall be clothed. The ex- 
ternal things are all valuable accessories, by no means to 
be depreciated, but secondary to what you do. '' Actions 
speak louder than words," and the reason is that they are 
the title-page and full index to your heart and mind. It 
is by the beauty of these — the outward expression of your 
thoughts — that you shall charm. They make the atmos- 
phere which surrounds you, and in which you are a pris- 
oner for life. Your soul shall easier walk out through 
your eyes and confront you with a twin personality, than 
you shall escape your atmosphere; and it depends upon 
yourself whether it shall attract or repel. 

A gentle courtesy to all humanity, and especially to the 
weak and lowly, tenderness for all suffering, appreciation 
of all that is good and noble, sympathy with heroic actions, 
and a large compassion for human failings, — these create 
an atmosphere that makes a veritable halo round your 
head, and attracts to you the best minds and the rarest na- 
tures. The lovely and encouraging fact about it is, too, 
that this sort of charm develops so rapidly when given the 
right encouragement — the nourishment, so to speak — and 



l8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

it never fades, but increases with use, experience, and years. 
Happiness is a wonderful beautifier; " it does away with all 
ugliness, and even makes the beauty of beauty." 

It was this sort of charm which Dr. Oliver Wendell 
Holmes had in mind when, after expressing his mind 
freely upon the type of woman he personified in " The 
Model of all the Virtues," he said: " But a woman who 
does not carry about with her wherever she goes a halo 
of good feeling and desire to make everybody contented, — • 
an atmosphere of grace, mercy, and peace, of at least six 
feet radius, which wraps every human being upon whom 
she voluntarily bestows her presence, and so flatters him 
with the comfortable thought that she is rather glad he 
is alive than otherwise, isn't worth the trouble of talking 
to, as a zvoman; she may be well enough to hold discus- 
sions with." 

The fear has been expressed that the present devotion 
of woman to all manner of out-of-door sports and to gym- 
nastic training will result in coarseness and overdevelop- 
ment of muscle, enlarged bones and loss of the graceful 
curves which the delicacy of certain parts of her frame has 
heretofore secured, and which has been one of her great- 
est charms. But this alarm for the future of woman's 
beauty is ill-considered, and formed from a narrow and 
prejudiced standing-point. It is only worthy of mention 
here in order to convey a caution. 

Of course, exercise can be abused; but so can every in- 
terest in life, mental, moral, and physical. All depends 
upon the good sense of the individual. But, with the sole 
exception of bicycling, over-devotion to which has en- 
couraged certain unattractive peculiarities of expression 
and development (concerning the benefits of cycling, I 
shall have much to say), neither exercise nor higher mental 
culture are the influences which have produced the coarse, 
vulgar woman of whom we are none of us proud. She is 
the product most frequently of gormandizing, and of sub- 



SOME BEAUTY-DESTROYERS. I9 

mission to the influences of coarse and degrading things, 
chief among which are the so-called " realistic " drama and 
novels. You cannot touch pitch without being defiled. 
Dress, too, for the last half-decade has been dernoralizing in 
its tendencies, but this will be fuUy discussed in the chapter 
devoted to that subject. 

Coarse mouths with heavy lips are made so by coarse 
thoughts and ugly tempers ; and over-feeding spoils more 
complexions than sun and wind. A foolish ambition to 
achieve " century " cycling trips may broaden the foot 
and enlarge the ankle, but fleet running over the green- 
sward will train both to the loveliest symmetry. I have yet 
to see the girl or woman who has exercised regularly in a 
gymnasium, under wise and skillful direction, who has not 
thereby developed a trim, shapely, agile body, light and 
graceful in motion, with those rhythmic undulations of 
curves which are the expression of perfect, harmonious de- 
velopment. If now and again some over-zealous girl has 
exaggerated the plumpness of beauty, the vigor of a Diana, 
to brawn and muscle, blame her indiscreiion, not the theory 
nor the system. And don't say that the bicycle demoralizes 
and coarsens women, because it carries some into associa- 
tions which make them bold, and gives to others a tense, 
unlovely expression. There are, alas! always sOme na- 
tures who find a way to pervert the good. And, always, 
the croaker and the pessimist are at hand, who, looking 
through their gloom-veiled visual organs, invariably see the 
evil before the good. 

In the rebound from over-suppression, from those un- 
natural self-imposed restraints of Puritan and Pilgrim ahke, 
who believed all happiness whatsoever to be sinful, it is, 
perhaps, only fulfilling the law of averages that some shall 
go to the other extreme, and pursue pleasure with equally 
mad unreason. It certainly should surprise no one that, 
with such ancestors, the American people are intense in 
their temperament. The outlook through the open gates 



20 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

being- so entrancing, it is but natural that some should 
throw down all the fences. But the whole tendency of the 
age is looking towards an adjustment of the differences — 
these extremes — and the finding of that happy medium 
which shall reconcile them and elevate all humanity to a 
higher plane, mentally and ethically. 

The utmost expression of vigor is perfectly compatible 
with the most refined beauty, and is in itself beautiful, being 
the visible expression of health. Coarseness, however, has 
the opposite effect, being an enemy and destroyer of natural 
beauty. We see this in certain classes, oftener seen abroad 
than in this country, who, from an unwise manner of living, 
change from delicate, refined beauties, in their teens, to 
grossly coarse women before they reach the age of forty. 
Many charmingly pretty young girls have I seen handi- 
capped by the chaperonage of such mothers, who fondly 
pointed out the daughters as images of themselves at that 
age. Looking at .the mothers, I always think it must take 
a daring man to woo the daughters, with so awful a warn- 
ing of the possible future before him ! 

Now, the culture of perfect womanhood, to which more 
time and rational thought are being given in our day than 
since the period of the ancient Greeks, has laid down as 
two of its tenets that there is an even greater beauty of ma- 
turity than of youth, and that there is absolutely no valid 
reason why women should cease to be attractive. When 
a woman allows all her youthful beauty to disappear and 
every natural advantage to degenerate, she is, through neg- 
lect, ignorance, perhaps, and gross carelessness, defrauding 
herself and, probably, those very dear to her of many of the 
pleasures of Hfe, and of opportunities to form those valued 
friendships which, when life is understood, are recognized 
as among our greatest privileges. 

Certain characteristics of beauty may be accepted as its 
sign manual the world over, — a cosmopolitan thing before 
which Englishman and Maori, Frenchman and Zulu alike 



CHARACTERISTICS OF BEAUTY. 2 1 

bow. These are a well-developed, graceful figure; a skin 
of fine texture, be it bninc or blonde ; regular features, with 
slender, straight nose and well-formed upper lip above a 
round chin; large eyes, under narrow, arched eyebrows, 
and shaded by long, curling lashes ; delicate, small ears, set 
close to the head; abundant, glossy, well-kept hair; and 
delicate, well-proportioned hands and feet. 

It is noticeable that not all of these charms reach their 
maximum in youth ; that none of them need fade with ma- 
turity; and that many of them, if lacking, may be acquired. 
The eyes do not attain their greatest beauty till experience 
has developed character and the soul has learned how to 
express itself. 

"From women's e3^es this doctrine I derive: 

They are the books, the arts, the academies, 
That show, contain, and nourish all the world." 

"A healthy body is good; but a soul in right health, — 
it is the thing beyond all others to be prayed for ; the 
blessedest thing this earth receives of Heaven." And as 
the soul enjoys perennial youth, a woman may retain her 
youthfulness in proportion to the intimacy she cultivates 
with her own soul. It is from this silent companionship 
that the irradiating beauty, the " unspoken mystery of ex- 
pression," comes; and this creates that highest type of 
beauty which can no more be defined than we can grasp 
the soul and hold it. In rare moments this mystic seal be- 
comes so luminous, that we feel as if an archangel's wing 
had brushed past us. 

In searching for the best that is in you, you must do it 
with a will; not languidly and intermittently. You must 
be your own severest critic, setting about the task with a 
firm resolve to correct errors and develop and set ofif to 
advantage every natural attraction. Over-sensitiveness 
with reference to some defect and vanity are grave faults 



2 2 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

which cause much trouble and raise dangerous barriers to 
success in all efforts to please. If you are fortunately dow- 
ered with beautiful hair and eyes or a rose-leaf complexion, 
be grateful, and have the same joy in them that you would 
in the possession of a beautiful picture ; but shun vanity, 
for a whole train of evils are its parasites, and the tale of 
the lives it has wrecked would be grewsome. 

Take a large and wholesome pleasure in every attraction 
you are able to develop, as by so much will your sphere of 
influence be widened. When you take stock of your per- 
sonal attractions, examine your manners as rigorously as 
you do your physique. Good manners are the oil upon the 
machinery of life, which keeps the whole social fabric run- 
ning smoothly ; in fact, they eliminate the machinery ; for 
it is only when they are lacking that by its consequent 
creaking, jarring, and irregular working we are made con- 
scious of the underlying mechanism. 

A gracious, perfect manner is impossible to analyze. It 
is a compound of tact, thoughtfulness, premonition, con- 
sideration, sympathy, and savoir faire. But it will win for 
a woman almost as much as beauty can, and more than is 
conceded to a beauty that is handicapped by ill-breeding 
and vanity. The higher the grade of true culture, — that 
culture which refines the heart while it broadens the intel- 
lect, — the more we recognize the ethical beauty of the 
French motto noblesse oblige. 

The perfect manner has an intangible charm which wdns 
for its possessor the admiration of friends and the devotion 
of servants. It recognizes that the higher its social or 
worldly position is, and the fuller its opportunities, the 
greater are its obligations to all humanity. Its smiles and 
thanks for the courtesies and attentions of daily intercourse 
penetrate some natures like a ray of sunshine on a gloomy 
day, and trebly outweigh in value the grudgingly bestowed 
poiirboire of the haughty giver. 

There is no obligation in life which is so frequently vio- 



THE PERFECT MANNER. 23 

lated by the very class who should be most punctilious in 
fulfilling it, as that ethical one which requires that all should 
do their part to make life pleasanter and better for all with 
whom we come in contact. Remember that ■ 

" Good, the more 
Communicated, the more abundant grows," 

And nothing betrays the true gentlewoman so eloquently 
as her contact with inferiors and strangers. She never for- 
gets what she owes to the " gentle "-ness of her woman- 
hood. When she emerges from her room, her morning 
greeting to every member of the family, including servants, 
is hke a benison ; and never forgetting courtesy and con- 
sideration for others, she seldom fails to receive it herself. 
Even the rude and surly yield before her sweet gracious- 
ness, and pay her a deference that constraint could not 
extort. 

Train yourself to recognize an ill-br^d tone, an awkward 
movement, and everything that betrays hardness and 
coarseness in thought and character, and when you find 
them avoid them ; for mind and taste grow delicate by 
shielding from disagreeable contacts and by association 
with refined and harmonious things. 

Emerson found in chosen men and women '' somewhat 
in form, speech, and manners, which is not of their person 
and family, but of a humane, catholic, and spiritual charac- 
ter, and we love them as the sky. They have a largeness 
of suggestion, and their face and manners carry a certain 
grandeur, like time and justice." 

The peerlessly beautiful Mme. Recamier was one of these 
rare natures ; and it was by the charm of her manner, the 
rare loveliness of her character, the tenderness of her friend- 
ships, that she retained to an advanced age her wondrous 
power over human hearts. 



CHAPTER IL 

THE EVOLUTIOX OF TASTE. 

"' Remember that to change thy mind and to follow him that 
sets thee right, is to be none the less the free agent that thou wast 
before." 

" Doth perfect beauty stand in need of praise at all ? " 

Whex we come to consider the present type of woman's 
beauty, we find that here also the last quarter of the nine- 
teenth century has witnessed a wondrous change ; one 
which, though it seems gradual to us, will, when viewed in 
the historic light, appear phenomenally swift and radical. 
We can put ourselves somewhat in sympathy with this 
point of view — sufficiently so to understand its signi- 
ficance — if we look backward to the closing years of the 
last century or the ante- Victorian Period of the present. 

A quaintly interesting object-lesson for our purpose is 
aflForded by an examination of Burke's " Portrait Gallery of 
Distinguished Beauties of the Courts of George I\'. and 
AMlliam R'." Among all these fair dames who smile upon 
us so blandly only one, Elizabeth, Duchess of Sutherland, 
has a perfectly modern type of face. Exaggeratedly small 
mouths and chins are the rule, and extremely prominent 
noses, which are also usually very long. The prevailing 
style of hair-dressing, surrounding the face with awkwardly 
arranged, stifT curls, was both trying and frivolous. With 
the exception of the Duchess of Sutherland, very few of 
these women would be considered beauties m our day, and 

24 



OLD-TIME BEAUTIES. 25 

some are positively ugly. Miss Jane Porter, the writer, 
has an attractive, refined face, with a strong and regular 
profile ; but, whether actually so disfigured or not, is given 
a crane's neck and throat by Harlow, who painted her por- 
trait. Lady William Montagu is a pretty woman ; btit her 
bright, attractive face is disfigured by the grotesque outlines 
into which her hair is distorted. 

The characteristics, as a whole, are weakness and insi- 
pidity and an extreme artificiality. Of course there are ex- 
ceptions, and sometimes a noble brow is spoiled by a Weak 
chin, and a fine pair of eye? by an unlovely expression. But 
among them all there are few faces that would receive a 
second glance if placed in a group of pictures of acknowl- 
edged beauties from any one of the large social centres in 
the United States. 

Our frontispiece shows some of these lovely types of 
American beauties. They are reproduced from paintings 
of the Muses, by Giuseppi Fagnani, which are owned by 
the Metropolitan Museum. The young vv^omen who sat for 
these pictures were chosen from the North and the South, 
the East and the West, and their charms were so excep- 
tional at that period, the early '70's, as to give them great 
distinction. We recognize them now as hints only, des 
avant coureiirs, of Nature's intentions for the race, of the 
excellence towards which she was moulding all. 

To resume comparisons, the portrait of the famous 
beauty, Nell Gwynne, by Sir Peter Lely, shows a pink-and- 
white face with regular features and an enigmatic rather 
than pleasing expression. Her large, lustrous brown eyes 
have a hard look, but doubtless could do great execution. 
The mouth, though a cupid's bow, is tiny to the point of 
absurdity ; looks as if it never uttered more than " prunes 
and prisms" and had never been disarranged by an emotion ; 
and the chin is insignificant. The dark brown hair is sim- 
ply arranged, detracting nothing from the face, but, also, 
too severe to add a charm. Altogether, as one studies the 



26 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

portrait, one is convinced that the noted Nell's chief source 
of fascination was in her exquisitely shaped, delicate hand, 
over which the artist evidently lingered with lovingly pains- 
taking brush. 

For a half-century, more or less, this type of small- 
mouthed, large-nosed women, oftener than not with pre- 
posterously long throats, and rendered at certain periods 
extremely unattractive by eccentric styles of hair-dressing, 
can be studied in the portraits and ideal pictures of the 
period. Decade melted into decade with hardly a dis- 
tinguishing feature. 

Then came forty years in the middle of this century, when 
the standard of taste was deplorably bad, for it affected the 
very foundation of all true beauty and happiness. Sylph-' 
like fragility was the order of the day, and, despite the shafts 
of ridicule aimed at her follies, woman went from one ex- 
treme to the other. Her solemn arraignment by stilted 
moralists who cited the list of her heinous offenses against 
good sense and health, excites our liveliest mirth, for the 
manner of the philippics is as absurd as the deeds inveighed 
against. 

We fortunate women whose lot is cast in the closing 
years of this wonderful century, find it hard to believe that 
our grandmothers and great-grandmothers could have been 
guilty of such follies as are laid at their door. Their paper- 
soled satin shoes almost forbade out-of-door exercise; and 
a milk-white pallor and a proneness to faint on every and 
any occasion were distinguished marks of delicacy, as 
coveted in that era of transition as the winning of a golf- 
challenge prize is in our day. 

It was decidedly vulgar for a girl or a woman to possess 
a healthy appetite, and a mark of refinement to live as 
nearly on air as possible. The cult of Byron, whose deHcate 
poetical sensibilities were shocked by the association of a 
pretty woman and food, is said to have been one of the 
originating cajuses for this folly ; but it was an insidious 



THE FRAGILE TYPE. 2^ 

poison that took deep root, and spread from branches Uke 
a banyan tree, so the deadly influence was feh for decades. 
It was also considered vulgar in those days for a woman 
to know anything about her physical self; and this igno- 
rance led to grave indiscretions which often wrecked the 
health of the victim and entailed disease on future genera- 
tions. 

The natural result of such misdirected efforts was to pro- 
duce, as the ultimate expression of " lady-like " beauty, an 
ultra-etherealized type which came to be recognized in 
England and on the Continent from its delicacy as Ameri- 
can. Not that these follies of the period were confined to 
America, but climatic influences together with the intensity 
of temperament here tended to produce the most extreme 
type in our country. 

In the Far East, among the peoples who hold limited 
intercourse with the outside world and for whose women it 
has no existence so to speak, fashion i§ an untranslatable 
word, and taste as unchangeable as the laws of the Medes 
and Persians. 

With the exception of a few royal harems where the 
glamour and beguilement of Parisian gowns and confec- 
tions has penetrated, and consequently perverted natural 
taste, the peculiar Oriental costumes, every one possessing 
distinctive national features, have been as permanent and 
unchangeable as their art, their habits, and their religion. 
In keeping with this stability of influences, the type of 
Oriental beauty is invariable. 

An Armenian writer thinks it " not easy to form an idea 
of the beauty of Turkish ladies. They may be regarded as 
the prototype of female beauty." Large, dark, languishing 
eyes, dazzhng complexions, well-turned chins, perfect pro- 
files', supple, straight forms inclining to embonpoint, and 
luxuriant masses of glossy, dark hair, described the Turk- 
ish beauty centuries ago and describe her to-day. 

She looks with unfeigned horror upon the abnormally 



28 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

small, pinched-in waist of the Occidental W'Oman, which is 
as repugnant to her ideas of sense and beauty as the de- 
formed Chinese foot is to ours. In some parts of the East, 
beauty is estimated by avoirdupois, and it is said that the 
choicest beauties brought from Circassia and Georgia are 
those that to fine features unite more than common plump- 
ness. Tliere are some tribes in Central Africa where the 
perverted taste for excessive corpulence is carried to such 
an extent that the '' beauties " have to be supported when 
they walk abroad, their flesh hanging like pendent bags 
from their arms and legs. 

The fashion in heads among different tribes and nations 
has marked their progress in civilization. The ancient 
Scythians regarded a high, cone-like, or sugar-loaf-formed 
head as a mark of distinction ; and among the early Por- 
tuguese abnormally long heads were admired. Savage 
tribes have resorted to mechanical devices to alter the nor- 
mal shape of the head, especially subjecting the forehead 
to distortions, and persevered in the practice till the de- 
formity became a hereditary tribal peculiarity. 

Early Greek taste is credited with preferring a rather 
high forehead ; and the Greeks developed what we recog- 
nize to-day as the ideal head, symmetrical in contour, every 
part harmoniously balanced, and rather small than large. 
But the Romans cultivated the low, beetling brow and 
could even see beauty in united eyebrows. Ovid, that gar- 
rulous Pepys of his day, assures us that women who could 
not make their eyebrows grow together painted them in such 
a manner as to imitate the deformity. Modern taste finds 
those famous women, Faustina, Sabina, Domitia, and Plau- 
tilla, absolutely detestable in their ugliness. 

One is driven, involuntarily, to draw a parallel between 
the physical distortions cultivated among savage races and 
the follies of Fashion which give temporary vogue to 
equally as absurd deformities ; a proof that there is a linger- 
ing taint of the savage and barbarous which civilization has 



WHAT SELF-STUDY CAN ACCOMPLISH. 29 

not yet succeeded in exterminating. But it is daily becom- 
ing a greater sin to commit offenses against true beauty, 
because more and more our opportunities are widened for 
the acquirement of knowledge which supplies .us with the 
data necessary to distinguish between the true and the false. 

The utter unconsciousness of many women of their best 
points is deplorable. There hardly exists a woman so 
handicapped by Nature that she has it not in her power to 
achieve a measure of attractiveness. If the prevalent modes 
are inimical to her — in any degree unbecoming and dis- 
torting — she must study to so modify them as to adapt 
them to her use. For this culture of beauty, though it be- 
gins with the health of the body, extends to every outward 
expression of the soul which inhabits it ; just as the build- 
ing made by hands must rest upon a secure foundation and 
have an accurate, harmonious framev/ork, but its architec- 
tural beauty will be made or marred by every external de- 
tail. Refinement of thought breeds refinernent of feeling 
and deHcacy of discrimination; and with the culture of taste 
comes the independence of character which gives the cour- 
age to break the links of self-forged chains, binding us in 
ignorance to the unthinking herd, who play the game of 
" All we like sheep " with blind disregard for the follies of 
the leader. 

We are still in a transitory stage; and taste advances 
slowly, interrupted by depressing periods of retrogression, 
while the perfect creature is being evolved. But the lesson 
from this retrospective glance and brief study of eccentrici- 
ties of taste is really very encouraging. We are bravely 
over the days of eating slate-pencils and pickles to encour- 
age pallor ; and, for the first time in that autocratic dame's 
history. Fashion has united with common sense and given 
such a vogue to the worship of Hygeia that more has been 
accomplished for the improvement of the race in scarce two 
decades than any half-century has wrought before. 

This cult of Hygeia has gone hand in hand with woman's 



30 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

higher mental development, and may be rightly considered 
one of the first fruits of the latter; for with the disciplined 
mind came broader sympathies and a wider outlook, which 
necessarily roused a keen desire for the strength that alone 
made possible the fulfilment of the ambitions excited by the 
extended horizon. Though the cult has not always been 
wisely pursued, and we are passing through an era of al- 
most countless health " fads," yet nearly all of them con- 
tain precious germs of improvement. 

By the common agreement of artists the Greek propor- 
tions have been accepted as those of the ideally perfect 
woman. These require that her height shall be five feet 
five inches; and when her arms are extended she should 
measure exactly her height from the tip of one middle 
finger to the other. The length of her hand should be a 
tenth of her height; her foot just a seventh; and the 
diameter of her chest a fifth. The perineum should be the 
medial point in the stature, and the knee should come ex- 
actly midway between the perineum and the heel. The 
length from the elbow to the middle finger should be the 
same as from the elbow to the middle of the chest. From 
the top of the head to the chin should be the length of the 
foot, and from the chin to the armpits the same measure- 
ment. With this given height, the waist should measure 
twenty-seven inches ; the bust, under the arms, thirty-four 
inches; and measured outside of them, forty-three. The 
upper arm should be thirteen inches in circumference ; the 
wrist, six inches ; the thigh, twenty-five ; the calf of the 
leg, fourteen and a half; and the ankle, eight inches; and 
the weight which this frame can gracefully carry is one 
hundred and thirty-eight pounds. 

The Arabs have a curious code which expresses in a 
formula of coloring and shape their ideal of womanly 
beauty. It differs but slightly from Occidental tastes. 
These parts should be black : hair, eyebrows, lashes, and 
iris of the eye. White : skin, teeth, and sclerotic of the eye. 



. PROPORTIONS OF IDEAL BEAUTY. 3 1 

Red : tongue, lips, and cheeks. Round : head, neck, arms, 
ankles, and waist. Long: back, legs, arms, and fingers. 
Large : forehead, eyes, and lips. Narrow : eyebrows, nose, 
and feet. Small : ears, bust, and hands. 

Lady Duff-Gordon thought the Arab women on the Nile, 
" sweet, attractive things, all smiles and grace." She found 
them very charming upon acquaintance, and makes fre- 
quent reference to the superb forms of both men and 
women, which she considered as perfect as a Greek statue. 
Of their manners she wrote: *' The meanest [poor, that is] 
man or woman of good Arab blood has a thoroughbred 
distingue air." 

The German scientist. Dr. Stratz, who has made a life- 
study of the beauty of women of all nations, considers that 
he found the most perfect and harmonious development of 
form among the Javanese. His ideal proportions differ 
from the Greek slightly, and he calls his the " normal pro- 
portions " of the perfect woman, deduced from averaging 
the measurements of m^any finely formed women: 

" The height should be seven and a half times the length 
of the head, ten times the length of the face, nine times the 
length of the hand, "and six to seven times the length of 
the foot. From temple to temple the measurement should 
equal the length of the face. The arms should be three 
times the length of the head, and the legs four times; and 
the shoulders should be two heads wide. When standing 
erect, perfectly developed legs should touch at the thighs, 
the knees, the calves, and the ankles." 

When we look for the prototype of the most beautiful 
women of to-day we have to turn back to the art of the 
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the Straedel Gallery, 
at Frankfort, there is a Madonna by Alessandro Bonvicino 
for which one of our famous beauties might have posed. 
It is an exquisitely modelled modern face, of great nobility 
and dignity. Donatello's alto-relievo bust of Saint Csecilia 
shows an exquisite face of the noblest Grecian type, irra- 



32 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

diated with modern thought and spirituahty. And the Eve, 
of Ghiberti, in his wonderful doors to the Baptistery in Flor- 
ence, is a similar type. \^ery noble, also, and alm.ost as 
beautiful, eyen in the trying media of majolica, is the Holy 
Mary in Andrea della Robbia's alto-relieyo of " The Coro- 
nation of ]\Iary" in Siena. 

Somewhat similar, though the mouth is smaller and the 
chin not so strong, is ^Michael Angelo's ^Madonna of the 
Steps, a marble in yery high relief in the Casa Buonarroti, 
Florence. Some of Paul Veronese's models are also of 
modern type, and Botticelli's Birth of A'enus, in the Uffizi, 
might be the portrait of the average pretty American girl 
seen any day, but for the fact that the chin is weak and there 
is not so much character as in the other examples cited. 
The contours are regular, however, and the expression 
bright. People who know their Paris well will, doubtless, 
remember Jean Goujon's beautiful marble figures on the 
Fontaine des Innocents, which represent strong and quite 
m.odern types of countenance. 

Now, the interesting fact to the woman of to-day is that 
could a magician's wand body forth in flesh and blood the 
various lovely models who posed for these masterpieces of 
the w^orld's greatest artists centuries ago, they would cer- 
tainly find their counterparts in the beauties of this gen- 
eration; and, perhaps, even be outshone by some. Yet for 
many and many a long year a search for their equal in pure 
beauty and charm would have been as difficult a task as for 
the hopeless needle in a hay-mow. 

The reigning English beauty of this closing season of the 
nineteenth century created a positive furor at a recent ball, 
in London; her entrance breaking up the waltz in progress 
at the moment. Even allowing for the glowing enthusiasm 
of British society, which worships before the shrine of 
Beauty with all the ardor of the ancient Greeks, Miss Enid 
Wilson really enjoys the distinction of expressing in her 
fair self from crown to toe that absolute perfection of ideal 




f^ 



MISS ENID WILSON. 



p 



THE END-OF-THE-CENTURY BEAUTY. ^^ 

beauty which is fit to crown this century of wonders. Her 
beauty is said to be of a kind that makes women forget to 
envy. She is tall, with a graceful figure developed by all 
manner of outdoor sports, in which she excels. Her light- 
brown hair, rippling in undulating waves all over her per- 
fect head, is so abundant as to recall Lady Godiva's veil of 
tresses. She has the dazzling red-and-white complexion 
which the genial moisture of the English climate favors; 
and long lashes shade her soft, hazel-brown eyes, which 
flash with kindly humor and fun. 

" A lovely lady garmented in light 
From her own beauty." 

By common agreement it is decided that only two Eng- 
lish beauties can be compared with Miss Wilson, and the 
women thus distinguished are the late Duchess of Leinster, 
whose lovely face is so well known in this country, and 
the famous, never-to-be-forgotten Duchess of Devonshire. 
Now, to award Miss Wilson only her due, she is a much 
more beautiful woman than the one-time idol of the British 
public, unless Sir Joshua Reynolds lost all his cunning when 
he painted her portrait, and it is difficult to believe that he 
twice failed to do her justice; but unless he did Gains- 
borough idealized her, and it is only as the latter portrayed 
her that she can be compared to our end-of-the-century 
beauty. 

Miss Wilson is not of noble birth, hence not the product 
of generations of high-breeding and culture. Her father, 
a multi-millionaire, is the son of an old sea-captain, of Hull, 
England, who founded a great line of steamships which 
encircle the globe. She has, of course, had the advantage 
of all that wealth could do for the promotion of health and 
the all-round culture of the perfect human being. She is 
likely to be feted as much as ever was the noble Duchess. 
Already her fame is spreading among all classes, and 
wherever she goes she is almost mobbed by curious and 



34 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

admiring gazers. Every courtly drawing-room in London, 
every country-house in England, entreats her presence as 
an honored guest ; and if the sweet young girl, yet in her 
teens, be not spoiled by the homage laid at her feet, it will 
be because she is dowered with something even iliore pre- 
cious than her beauty, a noble character. 

Other examples could be cited nearer home, but if I men- 
tioned New York beauties, I must also enumerate some 
from Boston, others from New Orleans, and not omit Bal- 
timore, Atlanta, and San Francisco, and I can't make this 
a mere catalogue of a beauty show. One queen-flower, for 
whom we could find many mates, suffices to prove my argu- 
ment. 

These are the consummate flower of twenty years of en- 
deavor looking to the improvement of women mentally and 
physically, and who shall say that the results are not won- 
derful? 

Take heart of grace, every mother's daughter, and study 
the methods which have wrought such a glorious change. 
The way is open to all. Learn first that the corner-stone of 
beauty is health; and next, intelligence and trained taste, 
able to distinguish between the forces which work for good 
or ill, with a keen eye to personal defects which must be 
recognized before they can be corrected. With every ef- 
fort in every field of endeavor the battle is half-won when 
we have learned our weakest point, for it needs only the 
will and knowledge of ways and means to overcome it. 

The women of to-day have much to be thankful for in 
the fact that the standard of taste is so much higher now 
than it was even a generation ago. A self-appointed auto- 
crat of " female beauty," writing in the middle of this cen- 
tury, and evidently voicing the opinion of his masculine 
contemporaries, pronounced in strongest terms the judg- 
ment that the '' intellectual system of beauty" in woman was 
less attractive than the vital. According to his theory, 
mental attributes strengthened the will in woman and made 



IMPROVEMENT IN THE TASTE OF MEN. 35 

her less yielding, — a grave disadvantage to her lord and 
master; but since his time men have discovered that igno- 
rance and obstinacy are Siamese twins, and that a stubborn 
v^dll is altogether a greater menace to domestic happiness 
than one which is guided by a well-trained intellect. 

The so-called " vital " type of beauty is represented by 
Venus; and the autocrat's ideal was the Venus of Medici, 
whose shrinking self-consciousness, perhaps, increased her 
charm to him; but in our eyes compels her to yield first 
place to the peerless Venus of Milo, who, even mutilated as 
she is, stands majestically forth in the perfect harmony of 
magnificent, unconscious womanhood. 

The superb Grecian Dianas were types of active beauty, 
seeking their highest pleasure and development in out-of- 
door sports and scorning any Venus-like timidity and weak- 
ness; while the noble Athena (Minerva) was the Greek's 
ideal of exalted mental beauty; that is, the autocrat's 
dreaded " intellectual system." 

Although men formerly feared these' women of higher 
mould — the Dianas and Athenas — ^they are learning the les- 
son well that the higher the type of the woman, the greater 
her all-round development, the better she is fitted to fulfill 
all the duties of womanhood; and that it is through these 
noblest examples of 

" A perfect woman, nobly planned, 
To warn, to comfort and command," 

that the prophecy of that superior coming race will find its 
fulfillment. 

On woman is all responsibility for the elevation and per- 
fection of mankind. But never forget that men do not want 
pure reason from women. " Brain-women " must learn to 
warm the currents of their " nice, calm, cold thought " by 
making them " travel to the lips via the heart." Thus will 
they glow and throb with woman's sympathy, transform- 
ing them and imparting such vitality that they gain treble 



36 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the power of conviction. The woman without sympathy, 
hard and cold to herself and to all with whom she comes in 
contact, is a false note in the harmony of life. 

It is conceded that Nature is making perpetual efforts to 
attain perfection and beauty; therefore, beauty should be 
recognized as the normal state; and deviations from it are 
usually marks of ancestral errors; though sometimes the re- 
sult of ignorant training or the want of any directiofi and 
restraint. '' Faces are rarely true,'' says Emerson, " to any 
ideal type, but are a record in sculpture of a thousand anec- 
dotes of whim and folly. . . . The man is physically as 
well as metaphysically a thing of shreds and patches, bor- 
rowed unequally from good and bad ancestors, and a misfit 
from the start." 

We can every one of us prove this in our own ex- 
perience, recalling eccentricities of bearing, walk, and ges- 
ture, and facial expression which pass through whole fami- 
lies. It would be a most discouraging factor in the prob- 
lem we are studying did we not know of what plastic matter 
these bodies and minds are fashioned, and that our every 
effort to perfect them is aided by our ever-kind mother, 
Nature. Every defect of manner can be cured as soon as 
its originating cause is understood. Mannerisms of speech 
and bearing, facial quirks and grimaces, tricks of voice and 
expression, — all these are means by which many women 
allow themselves to be absurd caricatures of what they 
might be. 

The fullness of hfe with all its joys and pleasures is almost 
a sealed book to the wornan who does not know how to 
develop herself and make herself interesting and attractive; 
she is but half-living who does not understand this, and no 
pains should be too great to acquire the knowledge and the 
art. By means of it we form the friendships which are the 
staff of life, and through that channel alone come all oppor- 
tunities for woman's effective influence. 

M. Amiel said that the want of beauty in woman '' being 



woman's own responsibility. 37 

something that ought not to exist " shocked him Hke a 
tear, a dissonance, a solecism, " a something out of order," 
while beauty restored and fortified him '' like some miracu- 
lous food, like Olympian Ambrosia." 

If you desire help in the guidance of your thoughts to 
that realm of. soul-growth which ultimates in external 
beauty make Ruskin and Emerson your handbooks, to pick 
up at odd moments, to read and re-read, and think over 
lovingly till you comprehend the lofty import of the truths 
they strive to convey. One little maxim of Ruskin's — from 
the preface to '' Sesame and Lilies " — is so directly to my 
purpose that I give it to you here (He is talking to young 
girls, but it applies to those of any age) : 

" Try to get strength of heart enough to look yourself 
fairly in the face, in mind as well as body. I do not doubt 
that the mind is a less pleasant thing to look at than the 
face, and for that very reason it needs more looking at; so 
always have two mirrors on your toilet-table, and see 
that with proper care you dress body and mind before them 
daily." 

The more you cultivate your ability to ^' dress your 
mind " the more keenly you will realize that " The pleas- 
antest things in the world are pleasant thoughts, and the 
great art in life is to have as many of them as possible." 



CHAPTER III. 

HEALTH, THE CORNER-STONE OF BEAUTY. 

" And vital feelings of delight 
Shall rear her form to stately heights." 

" To be free-minded and cheerfully disposed at hours of meat 
and of sleep and of exercise, is one of the best precepts of long 
lasting." 

It has long been an acknowledged fact that health is the 
very foundation of happiness and usefulness for both men 
and women, and we now recognize it as the corner-stone of 
beauty. This fortunate generation is enjoying the fruit of 
long years during which the best minds were groping for 
light on the subject of ways and means for the curing of 
disease and the betterment of health. And as 

"All thoughts that mould the age begin 
Deep down within the primitive soul"; 

so these aims and efforts looking to the relief of suffering 
and the advantage of the race, by slow accretion grew and 
blossomed into knowledge that has already borne the fruit 
of a vast improvement in the general health. 

Very accurate and clear are the fundamental rules which 
knowledge has been able to formulate for the promotion 
of health, and with their wide dissemination has come the 
very general recognition of individual responsibility for 
disease and suffering. Fresh significance has been given 
to the paraphrase of the old proverb: '' Better an ounce of 

38 



ESSENTIALS FOR HYGIENIC LIVING. 



39 



prevention than a pound of cure/' by the discovery that if 
diet, clothing, sleep, and exercise be regulated according 
to habits of hfe, climate, and seasons of the year, it is pos- 
sible to develop such strength of physique and such a state 
of normal health as shall ofTer no encouragement to the 
seeds of disease. 

We have learned that foul air alone can induce "colds, 
fevers, and the most insidious diseases ; and that in com- 
bination with improper food, it causes a great part of human 
suffering. The microscope, too, in discovering the germs 
of many ills, has shown us how our daily walks and acts 
are strewn and surrounded by the deadly microbes of all 
manner of diseases. But science when pointing out the 
perils which menace us has not rested from her labors with 
the mere finding of a cure ; she has also carried her in- 
vestigations to the creating cause, and thus has been able 
to indicate the preventive measures that will form our pro- 
tection. And so efBcacious are these weapons, the hygienic 
laws of life, that even the woman who is handicapped by a 
delicate constitution or the inheritance of weak organs shall, 
if she orders her life in obedience to these laws, enjoy better 
health and far greater immunity from petty ailments than 
she who, though naturally of robust constitution, habitually 
violates them, either from indifference or ignorance. 

Hygienic living demands imperatively the absolute pu- 
rity of these four necessities : air, water, food, and thoughts. 
Granted these, you have the constituents out of which 
Nature formulates such a perfect creature that the inward 
purity seems to lend radiance to the translucent skin. It 
is not simply a few breaths of fresh air a half-dozen times 
a day that humanity needs, but a continuous supply; and 
just as three quarters of the world are half-starved for fresh 
air, so are they also stinted, oftener from ignorance than 
necessity, in the normal quantity of water the body requires. 

Next to the lungs the stomach is the most abused organ 
in the body. It is the overtaxed stomach that rebels, sends 



40 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

its telegraphic remonstrance of pain, and semi-occa'sionally 
retires entirely from work. Health requires nourishing food 
in sufficient quantity only, and especially interdicts excess. 
Next to proper food comes cleanliness, without and within; 
exercise, adapted to needs and varying according to occu- 
pation and mode of life ; and a rational alternation of regu- 
lar employment with some diversion. Pleasure has come 
to be recognized as having a distinctly therapeutic office, 
and hence to be one of those factors which merits the same 
consideration and attention as other necessaries in a well- 
ordered life. 

Close examination and analysis have proved that a great 
majority of the gravest diseases and all of the slight ail- 
ments that afflict humanity are the direct result of the vio- 
lation of some or many of these hygienic laws ; and the 
more we experiment with their power for good, the more 
we realize how culpable are the thoughtless or indifferent 
folk who heedlessly ignore them. The strongest obstacles 
which the apostles of hygienic living encounter in the 
propaganda of their cult are prejudice and ignorance; and 
too frequently they are united, forming in union such an 
impenetrable crust of conceit that error has its way, the 
voice of reason, be it ever so loud or authoritative, being 
unheard and unrecognized. 

A great work is being done for the amelioration, of this 
sort of ignorance and intolerance by the widespread growth 
of women's clubs. They are shaking up the dead level of 
women who have inherited their shells of insularity and 
narrowness and knew not where they stood till club-life 
and club-work turned its searchlight of progress upon their 
private habits of life and thought. But there are still vast 
numbers of women yet to be reached, women leading 
isolated lives — not always, though, in isolated places — and 
those upon whom a heavy portion of life's burdens have 
been placed, and who, unequal to the task of mastering 
things, are mastered by them. 



THE STUDY OF HOME SCIENCE. 4I 

The weightiest problems, most closely connected with the 
progress of civilization and the improvement of the human 
race, are involved in this question of rousing all the women 
of our land to an earnest desire for all the light that modern 
science can give them upon the subject of household 
economy. If what is " Well begun is half done," the out- 
look in this field of endeavor is even now most hopeful, 
for already much preliminary work looking to thorough 
organization has been done. 

It is now three years since the regents of the University 
of New York issued their syllabus of " Home Science," 
placing the course on a par educationally with botany and 
kindred scientific subjects, and giving the usual credits 
upon examination. The subject is divided into four topics, 
which, as subdivided, cover a broad field, probing to the 
source of many evils, and turning the electric light of knowl- 
edge upon countless insidious, health-destroying practices. 
Under the head of " Foods," instruction is given in physio- 
logical chemistry, food values, relative importance of dif- 
ferent substances, healthful preparation and preservation of 
foods ; and '' Uses of food in the human body ; quantity 
and relative proportion of every food principle needed to 
sustain life, and give power for physical and mental work; 
reasons for varying food according to season, age, or occu- 
pation." The second topic considers " Emergencies, Home 
Nursing, and Hygiene." " Household Science " stops not 
with plumbing, lighting, heating, ventilation, and water- 
supply; but instructs upon the regulation of work from 
cellar to garret, and discusses the relations of mistress and 
maid. The last topic is '' PubHc Hygiene," which considers 
questions concerning the physical and moral welfare of 
communities; the regulations necessary for cleanliness, the 
prevention of epidemics and spread of contagious diseases, 
inspection of foods, and sanitary condition of public bulld- 
itigs. 

In all large cities, and in many small towns where there 



42 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

has been a nucleus of wide-awake people keeping abreast of 
modern thought, a very deep interest has been felt for the 
past decade in the thorough study of these subjects. By 
means of the beautiful humanitarian work of the University 
Settlements in many cities the '' submerged tenth " are be- 
ing lifted up into the light ; but the most difficult class to 
reacH are the unleavened part of the great mass of human- 
ity — the eight tenths — and their crust of self-satisfied preju- 
dice can be penetrated by finesse and stratagem only. 

In an unfortunate majority of cases the women of this 
class give more time to the consideration of the clothing 
of the body than to its food. They make what, in the dim 
light by which they see, seem heroic sacrifices of time, 
strength, and health to the sole end that they and their 
families shall be as showily clothed as their neighbors ; and 
it never occurs to them that their brains need any food at 
all, if only they can cover them with a sufficiently towering 
and expansive mass of plumage and flowers. Hence they 
are difficult to reach through the ordinary channels of news- 
paper and magazine; and they are neither club-women nor 
" clubable " in tastes or inclinations. The only influence 
which draws such women into clubs is social ambition ; but 
their usual attitude towards them is one of contempt ; they 
" have no time for such nonsense ; a woman's first duty is 
to her family." 

Now, it is woman and woman only with whom is all op- 
portunity and all responsibility for the physical and ethical 
elevation of the race ; and there is never a woman so poor, 
so lowly, so insignificant, that if she be not a power for 
good, there is not danger of her being one for evil. There- 
fore it is that every woman of missionary instincts can find 
as important a field of endeavor right here at home as any 
that far-away India or China can offer her, if she give her- 
self to the work of spreading the gospel of hygienic living. 

The vital question is how to reach and influence the 
whole vast body of indifferent or ignorant women. The 



THE INCREASED STATURE OF WOMEN. 43 

cause is half-won when a genuine interest in the possibility 
of improving their physical condition is roused, and this will 
be most easily done by appealing to their inherent desire 
to improve their appearance. When we can onqe convince 
women that devotion to Hygeia is rewarded with a measure 
of beauty as well as vigor, they will bring to her cult all 
the energy and enthusiasm for which they are famous when 
pursuing fresh interests, and which are now so often mis- 
directed. 

'' It is generally acknowledged that the present genera- 
tion is already reaping the benefit of the wide-spread knowl- 
edge of these [hygienic] laws, which has resulted in im- 
proved diet, better sanitary regulations in our homes, and 
demands which brook no denial for fresh air and physical 
exercise. The increased stature of our young girls is one 
of the notable improvements in physique which is exciting 
comment. The fragile and sylph-like creature who was 
formerly taken as a type of the American woman has al- 
most disappeared, and in every gathering the petite and 
delicate girls are a small minority. These frail women were 
the daughters of still frailer mothers, and can trace their 
sufferings to those wonderful grandmothers whose industry 
has often been held up to us as a reproach, but who burned 
their candles at both ends, and with chests of hand-spun 
linen — of which even to this day one who has a precious 
remnant is so proud — bequeathed to their daughters a fatal 
inheritance of high-strung nerves and exhausted vitality." 

I wrote the foregoing five years ago, and quote it to show 
what had already been accomplished at that time, and to 
point out how slow the great general public has been to 
recognize the fact that such regenerative influences were 
steadily at work creating a radical improvement in the type 
of the American girl. Not till this past winter of '98-99 
has the greater height of our young women begun to excite 
general attention and formed the subject for wide news- 
paper comment. Yet for several seasons past, more and 



44 THE WOMAN BEAUTlI'UL. 

more, the tall young brides have overtopped their hus- 
bands, ar.d mothers have been surrounded by daughters 
in their early teens to whom they had to look up! 

In the last generation a woman of five feet eight was so 
conspicuously tall as to attra:ct annoying observation ; but 
in New York society, now, there are ten or fifteen hand- 
some women who are six feet tall, and many yoimg girls 
not yet '' out " who are over six feet. At a " coming-out " 
tea, during the past season, a rosebud garden of six-foot 
beauties surrounded the stately American-Beauty bud w^ho 
was making her first bows to society ; and the whole group 
were noticeably attractive in appearance, carrying their un- 
usual height with exceeding grace and perfect ease. 

It behooves the men to bestir themselves, for many of 
them have been retrograding while the women were gain- 
ing, and a vast number of the younger ones are compelled 
to look up to the girls; and while they make the best of 
it wath easy good humor, it puts them at a distinct disad- 
vantage. Already youths in boarding-schools and colleges 
are giving much attention to those physical exercises wdiich 
are best calculated to increase height; and recent statistics 
report a gratifying increase of w^eight and inches in this 
younger set. The training should begin at home, and 
mothers should see to it that boys and girls have equal 
advantages in the building up of sturdy frames. Hereto- 
fore, the early opportunities for healthful exercise have all 
been in the boy's favor, but in spite of this he has let his 
sister leave him behind in the race. 

In this phenomenon of the girl outstripping her brother, 
we see the effect of the greater enthusiasm and intensity 
of purpose with which the feminine nature pursues a new 
idea. Health culture coming to woman as a blessed gift 
of promise opening to her a new world of possibilities, and 
hand in hand with the higher mental training w^hich gave 
her a keen sense of the responsibility attending them, it was 
the natural consequence that she required no further spur 



RESULTS OF HYGIENIC LIVING. 45 

to pursue every rational means of improvement with an 
impetus that has carried her to many a successful goal. 

Average men w^ere slower to recognize the deep purport 
of the new cult, and quite incHned when it came to a ques- 
tion of reforming taste, relinquishing petty vices, and self- 
indulgence in the matter of unlimited cigarettes, to speak 
of it contemptuously as " a woman's fad." But she has 
gone serenely on and now shows him triumphantly the 
beautiful results of pure, healthful living and high thinking; 
and man must necessarily follow where woman leads, for 
he can't do without her. 

The attempt has been made to prove that the tall girls 
and women enjoy no greater immunity from trifling ail- 
ments, colds, headaches, and nervous attacks, than their 
shorter sisters. But this is foolish, and one reply only is 
needed. Of course, height in itself is not claimed as con- 
ferring greater health. Almost all the girls, however, who 
have attained this unusual height, are departures from 
hereditary types, often towering above father as well as 
mother, and are those fortunate ones who have enjoyed 
every advantage of the highest all-round culture. They 
have found and appropriated to themselves the best in every 
system of physical culture; and college training has been 
supplemented by travel and the special culture of every 
talent. Change of climate and environment, too, have 
done their part in buildiijg up these so vigorous young 
creatures, with the result that they have bloomed into 
womanhood the very embodiment of physical health, fit to 
pose as models of Hygeia herself. 

It is not claimed, though, for any system of hygienic laws 
that, after producing the perfect human being, all its 
maxims can be thrown to the wind without paying the 
penalty. The popular young beauty who enters the social 
race finds herself soon drawn into such a mad whirl of over- 
lapping engagements that if she attempts to go the pace, 
she inevitably pays the penalty. But the amount of reallv 



46 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

hard work that these bright young creatures go through 
before the strain teUs upon them shows the stuff of which 
they are made. Their great-aunts would have fainted at 
the mere enumeration of a day's social engagements in this 
end-of-the-century period. 

It is not to be understood from the foregoing that all the 
young women of the period who have been brought up on 
the most approved hygienic system have attained so unusual 
height, but what is emphasized is that there is an ever-in- 
creasing tendency in that direction and the short girls are in 
the minority. 

In many other ways also, the progress already made 
proves that the observance of hygienic laws can over- 
come in time even grave physical deterioration resulting 
from hereditary and vicious habits of life. It will doubtless 
surprise many perfectly moral and extremely religious peo- 
ple to be told that their habits are vicious, but it is a fact 
that can be proved to the satisfaction of every intelligent and 
observing person. 

It is a vicious habit to sit for hours in a closed room with- 
out ventilation, breathing and re-breathing the carbonic- 
acid-laden air; and the evil effects of sleeping in a room to 
which no fresh air is admitted are even greater. Every 
adult needs 2,000 cubic feet of fresh air per hour. Less 
than this involves the re-breathing of the poisonous emana- 
tions thrown off through the lungs and body. The mis- 
guided mortals who have grown up with the idea that colds 
and fresh air are synonymous seal up their houses hemeti- 
cally at the beginning of winter, have difficulty, in con- 
senquence, in heating them, as impure air is not congenial 
to combustion and is too sluggish to allow the heat to be 
disseminated; and the result is that some one in the family 
is always ailing. In the late winter and early spring the 
women and girls who sit for hours in the same unventilated 
rooms are overcome with languor and lassitude, all simply 
the effect of slow poison stagnating the blood; and if in 



THE EFFECTS OF VITIATED AIR. 47 

this state of lowered vitality there is exposure to any serious 
disease such persons are ready victims. Bad complexions, 
headaches, and weak nerves are an almost inevitable penalty 
for the infraction of this law, which is invariably attended 
by the breach of others, proving the natural law of like 
seeking like and producing like. The vitiated blood causes 
torpidity of all involuntary organs, and the excretory func- 
tions, clogged by the enormous work thrown upon them, 
are sluggish and unequal to performing half their duty. 
From this last cause alone come the great majority of the 
pimply skins with enlarged pores and unsightly comedones. 

The reward for living a hygienic life is almost immediate 
in the improvement of bodily and mental health, and with 
health conies the sign-manual of a clear complexion. This 
is one of the primary qualities of beauty, without which no 
harmony of features can avail to make a woman lovely. 

Quoting again from a health essay of my own: " To the 
plea, often urged, that it is too late to begin approved 
methods of physical development in adult life, there is but 
one answer to make and that is emphatic: Change being a 
constant, never-varying condition of all the organs of the 
body and its bones, muscles, and nerves, the process of re- 
newal being continual as long as life lasts, it can never be 
too late to supply the body with better material for this re- 
newal; never too late to stimulate these operations of waste 
and repair to the utmost perfection in their work. It is 
never too late to strive for any good thing we desire; and if 
the effort to attain it be pursued in accordance with Na- 
ture's laws, she is the most able ally we can win to the ac- 
complishment of our aims. 

" If the three prime functions of all animal life, aeration, 
nutrition, and excretion, be perfectly performed, the re- 
sultant condition is perfect physical health; so upon the 
first symptom of disorder seek first to learn wherein the 
healthful regulation of these functions has been violated. 
When the involuntary normal action of any organ is dis- 



48 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

turbed, the weakest part of the body — often quite remote 
from the seat of trouble — is the first to feel it and sound 
the alarm." 

The utter ignorance among masses of otherwise well- 
educated women of their physical selves, is amazing and de- 
plorable. To this cause alone may be traced a great part 
of the maladies and debility from which they habitually 
suffer. Often there is not only ignorance but an intense 
repugnance to knowing anything on the subject, and a pro- 
nounced reluctance to hearing it discussed. I have heard 
some hypersensitive women declare that they should loathe 
food if the}' heard the mechanism of digestion explained, 
and as for the mysteries of their own distinctive and so mar- 
vellous functions, delicacy forbade their listening to any in- 
formation on the subject. Poor, misguided women, making 
their own procrustean beds upon which they drag out 
weary, useless lives in slow^ torture! 

Every adult should have sufficient familiarity with 
anatomy and physiology to be able to exercise judgment in 
the regulation of diet, baths, and daily exercise, and to 
recognize the dangers to which the violation of hygienic 
laws exposes one. It is not an abtruse subject, not beyond 
the power of average memory and ability to master; and it 
is the only key which can be offered woman by which she 
can unlock the mysteries of herself and learn her physio- 
logical needs. 

If the allowance of food in the world were equally dis- 
tributed, none would suffer; and the surplus consumed by 
the over-fed added to what is wasted in the United States 
from bad cooking and in other ways, would feed well all 
the world's starving creatures. AVhen we- consider the sub- 
ject of food we are met at the outset by one of Nature's 
most baffling conditions: the impossibility of laying down 
any rules of diet because of the individual peculiarities 
which make of one man's poison, meat for another; and the 
fact that var3'ing occupations and habits of life require en- 



FOOD FADS AND OTHER ERRORS. 49 

tirely different food. One mistake of the faddists is that they 
fail utterly to recognize these cardinal principles, and they 
also ignore inherent peculiarities of mankind, Food is 
valuable in the exact ratio of its nutrition and digestibility; 
but in high grades of civilization — the farther the remove 
from brute creatures — these qualities are directly enhanced 
by its palatability; that is, its flavor, and also by its appear- 
ance. The coarser the people the coarser their food, and the 
more the act of eating becomes simply a feeding. The 
higher the intelligence the greater the appreciation of deli- 
cate and scientific cooking, and the more complex the needs 
of the system. 

There is a woful amount of misdirected energy and virtue 
expended in the cause of so-called " plain living." These 
people consider it a mark of moral rectitude and proof that 
they appreciate and understand the laws of hygienic living 
if they strictly eschew the '' pleasures of the table"; and they 
indulge in a painful amount of vaporizing anent '' plain liv- 
ing and high thinking." Since writing the foregoing I 
have enjoyed some trenchant criticism upon this subject 
by Dr. Shoemaker which so strengthens what I have said 
and what I intended to write that I will quote it here: 

" Considering the bountifulness of this land in all that 
can contribute to the table, the general cooking seems all 
the more execrable. Praise of plain cooking is cool self- 
ascription of a virtue that has no existence, and an aspersion 
of an art by one who does not pretend to be a votary of it. 
There is no true plain cooking but among cannibals, where 
all condiments are neglected. The plain cooking of civiliza- 
tion is only an imitation of this. It is the negation of all 
that the art of cooking summarizes in the well-being and 
pleasure of man. ... A plain cook of either sex is a per- 
son who brings fire and meat and vegetables together and 
lets them fight it out among themselves for a dinner. Un- 
fortunately, the fight does not end there, the next bout be- 
ing in the stomach of the unfortunate partaker of the repast-; 



50 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and the next, perhaps, with the doctor as bottle-holder. 
Depend upon it that cooking is an art, and that plain cook- 
ing is the absence of all art." 

Among the faddists is one set who advocate a diet of 
vegetable and animal foods which are palatable in a raw 
state; their argument being that cooking, seasoning, spic- 
ing, and freezing our foods are abnormal processes injuri- 
ous to the digestive organs. Another set confine themselves 
to meat and hot water; then come the vegetarians, who will 
touch nothing which has ever had in it the vital spark of 
life, yet do eat animal substances in the form of eggs, butter, 
cheese, and milk. Then we have the " natural-food " cult, 
" The Densmorian Theory," which also eschews cooking, 
and finds all the materials to build up the perfect body and 
*' insure health and vigor far beyond the now-recognized 
natural span of life," in the nuts and fruits of the earth. 

Now the truth is that often a kernel of good can be found 
in every new departure, but it must never be forgotten that 
what one person will thrive beautifully upon means sickness 
and suffering to another. There are some stomachs which 
would utterly refuse to digest entirely raw foods, they need 
the stimulant of warmth. Moreover, anything that causes 
the stomach to revolt fails to be assimilated. And this fact 
should prove to you the unwisdom of forcing little children 
to eat foods which they do not like. It is a species of re- 
fined cruelty. If it be a food which you know to be nutri- 
tious, and the child's system requires it, contrive to present 
it with that best of all sauces and appetizers, hunger. 

Pleasure is a direct aid and stimulant to digestion ; " for 
the stomach is a most sensitive and inconveniently sympa- 
thetic organ, completely under the dominion of the mind, 
and stimulated or paralyzed in its action by the emotions 
of the moment. The gastric juices cease to flow, and it 
rejects food — loathes it, indeed — and utterly refuses to di- 
gest it when depressed by gloomy forebodings, dread, or 
low spirits from any cause. Under these conditions it is 



♦ CHEERFULNESS AND DIGESTION. 5I 

folly to force work upon the depressed organ, which im- 
mediately the cause of trouble is removed will respond with 
the healthy craving of hunger; hence the importance of 
banishing all disagreeable topics of conversation' from the 
dining-room." 

No better precept for dining-room observance could be 
inculcated than this caution from Emerson : '' If you have 
not slept, or if you have slept, or if you have headache, or 
sciatica, or leprosy, or thunder-stroke, I beseech you, by all 
angels, to hold your peace, and not pollute the morning, 
to which all the housemates bring serene and pleasant 
thoughts, by corruption and groans. . . . The oldest and 
the most deserving person should come very modestly into 
any newly awaked company, respecting the divine com- 
munications, out of which all must be presumed to have 
newly come." 

With regard to what you may eat, this broad rule may 
be set down : Man is omnivorous, requiring for his per- 
fect development a greater variety of food than any other 
animal. The whole intricate mechanism of his digestive 
organs, which provide different fluids to act upon certain 
substances, proves this. Pasty complexions and pimples, 
sour tempers and broken constitutions, are the result of 
senseless eating. Dr. Shoemaker lays down the common- 
sense aphorism that " The more various the diet, the better 
the health and the enjoyment of existence." And he adds : 
" When we find nations so situated as to be obliged to sub- 
sist chiefly on one article of food, we find the system liable 
to specific disorders." It is beheved that their almost ex- 
clusive diet of rice was the cause of the prevalence among 
the sailors in the Japanese navy of that terrible disease 
beriberi, and in consequence, bread, wheat, and beans have 
been added to their rations. 

It is not the scientific aspect of diet that will appeal to 
the lay-woman, or even convey to her much information; 
but a few facts are easily explained, and give to reason 



52 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

something to base its judgments upon.. We have to eat in 
order to repair the natural waste of the body, — which is 
one twenty-fourth of its weight daily, — and, consequently, 
we have to supply like materials. These elements, chemi- 
cally considered, are nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous. 
The nitrogenous food-stuffs are both animal and vegetable 
in their origin, and are taken into the body in the form of 
proteids, which are sub-divided into albumen, gluten, 
fibrin, casein, myosin, globulin, etc. They are pre-eminently 
constructive ; the makers of energy, mental and physical. 
It is these elements which are the stiiuiili of change in the 
body, and a certain amount of heat is generated in their 
activity. 

The animal foods contain the proteids in the most con- 
centrated form and are generally most easily digested. Of 
the vegetable kingdom, dried beans and pease are rich in 
casein, and wheat, oatmeal, and rye in gluten. 

Non-nitrogenous substances are carbohydrates, derived 
principally from the vegetable kingdom in the form of 
starches and sugars; and fats, or hydrocarbons. Fats are 
force generators, and, being non-conductors of heat, assist 
in maintaining the temperature of the body. They are more 
greedy for oxygen than are the carbohydrates, conse- 
quently in their oxidation much heat is generated. This is 
the reason the Esquimaux consume such quantities of seal 
blubber and esteem raw tallow a luxury. The fats and 
oils perform a most valuable service in the economy of the 
body, and in their pure, healthful forms there is a most 
unwise prejudice against them in America. Most of the 
unfortunates who have to take medicinal oils would never 
have required them had they been w^onted in youth to eat 
the amount necessary to build up the perfect body. The 
lungs, especially, appropriate a great deal of fat in the de- 
velopment and renewal of their spongy structure. 

The starches, sugars, gums, etc., are carbohydrates, and, 
in process of digestion, are changed into glucose, or grape- 



THE FOOD-NEEDS OF THE BODY. 53 

sugar, before they can be appropriated by the renewing 
agents of the body. Alone they do not furnish the ma- 
terials to sustain life; but as assistants they are necessary, 
and they are conducive to the formation of fat, as they do 
not encourage change. The carbohydrates prevail in the 
vegetable kingdom, as nitrogen does in the animal. 

Mineral salts are necessary both as solvents and to main- 
tain the natural acidity and alkalinity, respectively, of the 
different digestive fluids and the tissues of the body. If it 
be deprived of the normal amount of these different elements 
required in the constant change under the operations of 
waste and repair, imperfection or weakness of some sort re- 
sults, and suffering ensues. 

The alimentary canal, by which name all the organs em- 
ployed in digestion are called, extends from the mouth to 
the anus, and averages thirty feet in length. In the lining 
membranes of its different compartments, five different di- 
gestive fluids are secreted; and every fluid has its special 
office, digesting and appropriating by ^chemical action cer- 
tain elements only in the food. The saliva of the mouth is 
alkaline, and when it is freely mingled with the food by 
proper mastication, it encourages the flow of the stomach's 
gastric juice which is acid, and th'us stimulates the healthful 
performance of its function. Hence if mastication is slurred 
over — a fatal American habit — the next part of the work is 
imperfectly done. The gastric fluid digests only the pro- 
teids, sending the substance appropriated immediately into 
the veins and lymphatics. 

It is easy to understand from the foregoing that the 
model diet is that which, by appropriating those substances 
which contain the needed elements in their most conven- 
ient form for digestion, mingles both animal and vegetable 
foods. In attempting to obtain from either kingdom alone 
all the nutriment required, it is necessary to eat too much 
of one element in order to obtain sufficient of the other, and 
this involves an unwise labor thrown upon the organs of 



54 I'HE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

digestion and excretion, and may cause serious trouble. 

For example: in a meat diet, in order to obtain the nec- 
essary carbon for the combustion which creates energy, 
an excess of almost four fifths of proteids would be thrown 
upon the liver and kidneys to dispose of. While in a bread 
diet, in order to obtain sufficient nitrogen, there would be 
an immense overplus of carbon to eliminate. 

Excess of any food-supply causes fermentation of undi- 
gested overplus, which quickly becomes a state of rotten- 
ness. Not pleasant to think of, I grant; but plain terms 
will best arrest thought and attention, and induce reform 
of most deleterious habits which are the source of much 
suffering and are inimical to good looks. In the fermenta- 
tion, butyric, lactic, acetic, and other acids are formed, gen- 
erating vile gases and causing an offensive breath. 

There is no country in the world where there is so varied 
and abundant a food-supply, at generally moderate prices, 
as in the United States; yet I doubt if the world can show, 
elsewhere, so many well-to-do people who are badly 
nourished. Our very abundance has seemed to blind peo- 
ple to the necessity of learning how to prepare food, and the 
very ones who are nearest the source of supplies, the agri- 
culturists, live from one end of the year to the other on the 
most limited and unvaried diet, utterly oblivious of the value 
in the fruits of the earth which could be theirs often without 
labor or price. The French or German peasants would 
revel and thrive on the refuse from an American farmer's 
kitchen, because necessity has taught them to extract every 
particle of nourishment from food-supplies ; and on six square 
feet of ground they would raise all the savory herbs needed 
to give to their pot an feu its piquant, delicious flavor. 

One diet rule alone admits no exception: our food af- 
fects the body for evil or for good; and the woman who 
wishes to cultivate her beauty must find out what best 
agrees with her, and she must consider it worth while to 
know how it should be prepared. It would be better to 



DYSPEPSIA AND ITS SOURCES. 55 

join the raw-food faddists than to run the risk of eating the 
half-cooked, glutinous cereals, sodden potatoes, and pasty 
hot rolls offered us on too many tables, which become an 
inelastic, gelatinous, sticky mass as soon as they enter the 
stomach, and are well-nigh impervious to the action of the 
digestive fluids. These, and tough fried meats and half-raw 
vegetables, have almost no value as nutriment, and at the 
same time impose an enormous tax upon the digestive or- 
gans. 

The prolific source of our American malady, dyspepsia, 
is innutritions food, and the cause of the failure of the food 
is the evil genius who presides over the cooking. Over- 
eating, too, of the best and most nutritious food, will also 
cause indigestion; and other producing causes are eating 
in haste and when the body is exhausted. Most unfor- 
tunately the last conditions are often united, and we must 
acknowledge that they are almost exclusively American 
vices. 

Now, of two evils, it is better to go hungry than to eat 
when over-weary or in great haste. It is an insult to the 
stomach to thrust into it a load of half-masticated food, 
which under the depression of fatigue it is incapable of di- 
gesting. Decomposition ensues, — there is a loathsome dif- 
ference in the processes, — and a sour stomach results; gases 
arise, poisons are absorbed, and the natural consequences 
follow, — headaches, sleeplessness, and general disorder. 

Men are much more frequently offenders in this last re- 
spect than women, whose gravest dietary faults are not 
giving sufficient thought to their own food and humoring 
unhealthy appetites. Reform, however, in all bad habits 
must come from woman's suggestion, and mothers cannot 
begin too early to train their children to a healthful manner 
of eating. Moreover, if a woman who is striving to improve 
her physical appearance has a dyspeptic husband, she must 
needs be already a saint or else her efforts must begin with 
his cure. 



56 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

It is becoming a recognized principle in tiierapeutics 
that for incipient ails it is not so much pills and potions 
that are needed as the regulation of diet and exercise, and 
without attention to these all the medicines in the phar- 
macopceia are of no avail. It will be a blessed thing for 
the beauty and health of the race when this is generally 
known, for the crowning injury which the American peo- 
ple inflict upon their physical well-being is their indis- 
criminate consumption of patent medicines, the sale of 
which in this country alone exceeds that in all the other na- 
tions put together! 

Dyspepsia being entirely the result of errors of diet and 
want of exercise, its treatment begins at once by the regula- 
tion of these. In early stages and even in chronic cases 
before they reach the critical state where the stomach re- 
jects almost everything, the suflering can be immediately 
alleviated by a discipline of half-rations, accompanied by 
systematic exercise in the open air. Naturally, the food 
selected must be of the most nutritious character, in least 
bulk, and well cooked. The drinking of hot water freely 
before breakfast and again at night, just before bedtime, 
will hasten a ctire. There is no simple regulator of the 
internal economy more efficacious, for it cleanses the mucus 
membrane of the stomach, and stimulates the whole ali- 
mentary canal and the kidneys to do their work„ perform- 
ing the necessary office of scavenger for the whole body. 
All persons who lead sedentary lives, not taking sufficient 
exercise to impel the tissues of the body to throw ofif the 
daily waste, will derive great benefit from drinking hot 
water. It should not be drunk so hot as to create the least 
discomfort in swallowing, nor be poured down in a deluge. 
Haste, in both drinking and eating, should be avoided. 

The physical idiosyncrasies which make it impossible for 
one person to take milk, another to eat eggs or any com- 
pound into which they enter, and which causes strawberries 
to disagree with some and fish or smoked meats with others, 



ADAPTATION OF FOOD TO WORK. 57 

is due to the chemical changes which all foods undergo in 
the process of digestion and assimilation. These changes 
are many and varied, dififering in the individual, according 
as certain chemicals predominate, and some of the com- 
pounds are actually poisonous. Thus it is necessary that 
appetite should be regulated by reason, and all must learn 
by experience what agrees with them. 

Dainty, refined people require daintily prepared foods of 
delicate flavor. Don't confound simplicity with crudity. 
The one appeals to a cultured taste : the other revolts it. 
Experience has proved that the highest type of the human 
being is produced by a variety of foods taken at the same 
time, which thus are more easily digested than only one 
or two kinds, and more readily enter into the chemical com- 
pounds which create firm, sohd flesh, and a transparent skin. 

Occupations and mode of life should govern the choice 
and regulate the quantity of food eaten. Those engaged 
in physical labor need an abundance of highly nitrogenous 
food. Underdone beef and well-cooked'mutton with onions, 
cabbage, baked beans, carrots, potatoes, and peas are spe- 
cially suited to their need. '' Pork should be eaten only by 
those who have constitutions of iron, who work hard in the 
open air, and never know what an ache nor a pain is. There 
is not a disease which pork may not cause, nor a pain it 
may not produce. A well-known New York physician, 
re-ferring to pork, has said : * It is the parent of dyspepsia, 
neuralgia, headache, sleeplessness, biliousness, constipation, 
hypochondria, and every other physical ill.' If it must be 
eaten, be sure that it is thoroughly cooked." 

" The red and dark meats are more stimulating and more 
readily assimilated than white meats, owing to a property 
called ozmazone contained in their fibrine. It is this prin- 
ciple which gives to meat soups their aroma and taste, and 
the darker the meat the more ozmazome is present. It is 
almost absent from veal and all young meats and from the 
white flesh of poultry." 



58. THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

It is most important that the food taken in the morning 
be of a nature that is most easily assimilated, throwing as 
little work upon the digestive organs as possible. One of 
the latest health fads is to go breakfastless till ii o'clock, 
and to make even that late dejeuner a simple and light meal. 
Those who have adopted it claim the happiest results for 
persons in ordinary health, some gratifying cures of dys- 
pepsia, and wonderful rejuvenating effects upon the aged. 
The first course at breakfast should be fruit; fresh, of 
course, in the season; and in the early spring oranges and 
grape-fruit are especially needed. These, with the malic 
acid of the apple, perform a most beneficent work in the hu- 
man economy. Don't be frightened out of eating them by 
those alarmists who declare there is too much acid in the 
body already. Tell them, what they evidently do not know, 
that these fruit acids are by chemical action turned at once 
into alkalies, and this is the reason that lemons, which are 
similar, are so beneficial for rheumatism and dropsy. 

" Tall, thin persons, if they take sufficient exercise to 
digest them, should eat starchy foods, — plenty of bread and 
cereals ; and also sweet fruits, cream, all meats but pork 
and veal, and drink an abundance of milk and pure water." 
Those who find it difficult to digest the breakfast cereals, 
especially oatmeal, will find the process greatly aided by 
eating a bit of toast, a wafer, or brown bread with them. 
These foods mingle with the cereal in mastication, breaking 
up the mass, and thus giving the gastric fluid a better 
chance to do its work. Oatmeal is too heating to be a 
general article of diet during our summers, and its diges- 
tion as well as that of all cereals should be aided by aperient 
fruits, — figs, dates, prunes, and berries, as well as those al- 
ready mentioned. 

It must be borne in mind that the starches are not di- 
gested in the stomach at all, and in sedentary occupations 
they encourage and often create most obstinate constipa- 
tion. The aperient fruits stimulate the flow of intestinal 



INDISCRETIONS OF BRAIN-WORKERS. 59 

juices, and are a sure means of overcoming this most un- 
hygienic condition which is always a menace to a good 
complexion, and oftener than not the originating cause of 
pimples. 

It is almost unnecessary to say that whole-wheat and 
gluten bread ought to displace that of fine white flour as 
a standard article of diet. The French, who make of cook- 
ing and everything pertaining to the table a fine art, have 
already appropriated it. But if white bread must be eaten 
it is much more healthful if cut in thin slices and toasted 
brown, this process transforming the starch into dextrine, 
which saves one of the labors of digestion. It has yet to 
be changed into glucose before it can be assimilated. " An 
interesting fact that ought to be widely known is this : com- 
mon dried figs contain sixty-eight per cent, of glucose, 
which when eaten is in exactly the condition which the 
starch of cereal foods attains only after a prolonged and 
nerve-wearing tax upon the digestive organs." 

Brain- workers commit many indiscretions which jeopard- 
ize health, both from overwork and failure to adapt food 
to work. The changes of tissue in the brain that take place 
during study and thought are very rapid, three hours' work 
exhausting the forces of the body as much as a day of 
manual labor ; and the absence of physical exercise encour- 
ages a dangerous torpidity of the voluntary functions, mak- 
ing their elimination of wastes very sluggish. Therefore, 
this class of workers and all who lead sedentary lives, re- 
quire most concentrated and easily digested foods. They 
should eat fresh beef and mutton, fish, eggs, — cooked in 
many forms, but never hard boiled nor fried, — oysters, and 
all fresh, green vegetables, especially cool, crisp salads, — 
lettuce, celery, chicory, escarolle, watercress, tomatoes, etc., 
■ — ^with mayonnaise or French dressing. They should begin 
the day with fruit, and make it form the principal part of 
luncheon, which should be a very light meal, if labor be 
continued after it; and should be very sparing in their use 



6o THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of cereals, eschewing entirely white bread and oatmeal. 

The pasty flour-and-water sauces — miscalled " cream " 
— with which the average American cook masks so many 
of her foods also induce constipation and offer another 
menace to the complexion, because the flour is usually but 
half-cooked. All these clogging things, containing little or 
no nutriment, increase the labor of vital processes and help 
to break down unduly taxed organs. As a rule Americans 
do not take enough liquid food. Two quarts daily are 
needed besides that taken with the food, as in "potatoes, 
which are seventy-nine per cent, water, or bread, which is 
over thirty per cent. Therefore it is common sense which 
directs that soup be the first course at dinner; it warms 
the stomach and gently stimulates it for the work to come, 
and aids in liquefying the nutriment, in which state only it 
is appropriated. 

The salad, also, is too often wanting on American tables, 
for it is an important aid to digestion, all of the fresh, 
succulent leaves ^ before enumerated possessing certain 
chemical properties and supplying needed salts. Tomatoes 
furnish higher nerve or brain food; are cooling, hence in- 
valuable in summer, act most beneficially upon a torpid 
liver, and relieve dyspepsia. A tomato and lettuce salad 
with mayonnaise dressing is an agreeable way of taking 
calomel, by which means you derive all the benefit without 
any of the harm of that powerful drug. Spinach contains 
salts of potassium, iron, and other things good for the com- 
plexion because of its tonic action upon the liver. The 
French call it the scavenger of the stomach. 

Tea and coffee are most valuable stimulants when used 
in moderation. Don't confound stimulation with vice. Every 
food that does its proper work stimulates, and many stimu- 
lants nourish, to a certain degree. It is taking them in ex- 
cess, more than the body can assimilate, that is harmful; and 
over-eating produces even graver troubles. Tea is especially 
a true care-breaker, and as it increases the circulation it 



STIxMULATING FRUIT AND HERB BEVERAGES. 6l 

Stimulates healthfully all the organs, and especially affects 
the brain favorably, restoring equilibrium; thus, being 
sedative as well as stimulating, it is the best thing that can 
be given in cases of sudden mental distress, calming ex- 
cited nerves and restoring weary, exhausted people. That 
" Coffee is excellent brain-food, and helps millions of peo- 
ple to the better performance of their tasks in business, 
literature, and art," is Dr. Coan's opinion. But never lose 
sight of the proviso, '' moderation." 

In summer the fruit phosphates are not only most grate- 
ful drinks to the palate, but have tonic, diuretic, and other 
medicinal virtues which make them invaluable to women. 
Those who understand their value use them the year round. 
Wild cherry is the most important of them. There are 
herb drinks, too, which are as precious as the fruits and act 
most beneficially upon the circulation and nerves. They 
are more restorative than stimulating, seeming to be just 
the fillip that Nature needs, and are followed by no bane- 
ful after-effects. Dried sassafras root-^two tablespoonfuls 
steeped for twenty minutes in three pints of water — is both 
food and drink. It may be slightly sweetened if preferred 
and drunk cold as freely as desired; it acts upon both blood 
and nerves, purifying and strengthening. For excited, 
trembling nerves, irritability, and irregular flushings, — those 
moments of exhaustion and weariness when a woman's feel- 
ings are utterly indefinable, — a little red lavender is worth 
quarts of that insidious demon chlorodyne! Two or three 
teaspoonfuls of the tincture in a cup of hot water with a 
slice or two of lemon make a restorative drink that acts 
like magic. It calms one and puts a woman in possession 
of her best self, making her 

"A happy soul, that all the way 
To heaven hath a summer's day." 

A woman should study her own organization till she has 
learned what foods she can best assimilate, — and feed her- 



62 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

self into a state of physical beauty. She can be just as at- 
tractive at sixty-five as at twenty-five, if she lives right; per- 
haps even more attractive, depending upon what she was 
at the earlier age. She must acquire the cunning and gentle 
art of cultivating herself, and make it such a habit that it 
wall come as natural as breathing, and be no more of an in- 
terruption to necessary occupations than the involuntary 
act upon which all life depends. 

She is prepared by the foregoing to be told that she 
makes or mars her complexion by the food she eats; that 
the best food for a beautiful complexion is that which is 
most readily assimilated; that undigested foods, and w-astes 
which are not regularly and promptly eliminated from the 
body, are corrupting masses generating poisons, which 
must ultimate in some form of disorder and ugliness. She 
will therefore avoid over-feeding; and equally shun going 
to the other extreme of not taking sufficient nourishment. 
If she is much alone, she will no longer think it " too much 
trouble " to prepare appetizing and nourishing food just 
for herself; and, when lunching at a restaurant, she will 
order soup and a green salad; instead of soft-shell crabs or 
lobster a la Xewburg followed by a cream puff with peaches 
and cream and a cup of chocolate, or only tea and toast. 

This last with a dish of stewed prunes, or a cup of choco- 
late instead of the tea, is quite enough for an idle woman's 
luncheon, — one w'ho is lounging about and taking no ex- 
ercise: but her busy sister requires something more sub- 
stantial, yet must avoid a hearty m.eal of several courses 
with meat and different vegetables, in the middle of the day, 
if she must resume her work immediately. 

^lost people need to use fruit in much greater abun- 
dance: and those succulent leaves, commonly called 
" greens," which are rich in the salts which aid in regu- 
lating the internal economy, should, like salads, form a 
part of the daily diet. \\'e have them in such abundance 
that they are in the reach of all, and in so great a variety 



nature's tonics. 63 

that none need tire of them. Spinach, kohl, young beet- 
tops, dandehons, cowsHps, and sorrel, all these are Nature's 
tonics for the human system; and if in the late winter and 
early spring they were eaten daily we should hear less about 
biliousness, and its accompanying languor and lassitude 
which no amount of sleep alleviates. Tomatoes, grapes, 
peaches, plums, and melons are the late summer's prepara- 
tion for winter beauty; eaten abundantly they have a won- 
derfully beautifying efifect upon the complexion. The an- 
tiseptic properties of the pineapple are not half-appreciated. 
The juice cuts its way through the morbific secretions of 
mucous membranes, hence is invaluable in throat diseases, 
especially diphtheria; cures some forms of dyspepsia; and, 
in fact, scours out impurity wherever it finds it. Used 
freely, outwardly and inwardly, it affects the skin most 
beneficially, and is said to banish moth-patches. It is the 
pulp which disagrees with some persons, and in the condi- 
tion of the fruit when it reaches Northern markets, this part 
of it should not be eaten except when finely grated. It 
makes as good a short cake as strawberries and also a de- 
licious layer-cake. 

An excellent handmaid for Nature in stimulating weak 
digestion and torpid organs is this fig paste : A half-pound 
each of fine raisins and figs, one ounce of senna leaves ; 
chop fine and put in a stewpan with a half-pound of sugar 
and a half-pint of boiling water; let simmer slowly for 
twenty minutes, then pour out on oiled paper in a long 
baking-tin to cool. Take a piece about an inch square at 
bedtime, and afterwards regulate amount by effect. 

Mothers should remember always that young girls who 
sit for hours in school require laxative food. It is so critical 
a period in their lives, when much nourishment is required 
for the perfect development of the growing body, yet when 
their enforced inactivity encourages torpidity of vital func- 
tions; and this must be counteracted by foods, not drugs. 
Supply the natural craving for sweets with spicy cofifee- 



64 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

cake made with whole-wheat flour, or soft gingerbread rich 
with molasses. The cinnamon of the coffee-cake is anti- 
septic, and an enerny to the microbes of disease, especially 
typhoid bacilla. 

The fondness of children for bread and m.olasses is a 
natural craving which should be gratified. Don't make the 
mistake of giving them the thin adulterated syrups of 
commerce which ferment readily and are as pernicious as 
pure molasses is beneficial. If you cannot get genuine New 
Orleans molasses or maple syrup, boil down what you have 
till it is thick and rich, skimming it thoroughly. Break- 
fasts and suppers of brown bread and molasses are said to 
produce firm flesh with a marble-Hke skin. 

The medical fraternity are only just waking up to the 
value of sugar as a food. The lumbermen of the Canadian 
and our Northern forests are said to owe their tremendous 
muscular development to the large amount of sugar, in the 
form of molasses, which forms part of their diet. Pure 
sugar is now being tried as part of the army ration of the 
German soldier, because it has been discovered that com- 
pared with other substances a given amount supplies greater 
staying power, and that, especially in the open air, the sys- 
tem requires it. 

No one should ever go to bed hungry. A light luncheon 
of wafers and warm milk, hot water and brown bread, or 
a few dates, is enough to stay the craving and induce sleep. 
The mistake is to eat heartily and hurriedly, imposing upon 
the stomach a full meal of half-masticated food. 

Discrimination is needed, also, in the choice of foods for 
different seasons of the year. In summer foods for strength 
and nourishment only are required, and as^far as possible 
the heat-producing substances needed in winter should be 
shunned; processes of change are slower, also, and less 
should be eaten. In the active life which most Americans 
lead, the principal meal of the day should be eaten at its 
close, when there is leisure to enjoy it; and the arrange- 



HEALTHFUL AND UNHEALTHFUL MEALS. 65 

ment of the meal in courses, which may seem elaborate to 
those unused to it who associate it with the idea of cere- 
mony, is the most common-sense and practical thing, com- 
pelling that healthful pause which aids digestion, and puts 
the brake on appetite. Let me say, here, that in these mat- 
ters we could go to the French school of common sense 
any day with great profit to ourselves;' and what they do 
hot know about the nourishment of the body is httle worth 
the knowing. 

The gorging with hearty food, half-masticated because 
eaten in haste, and drowned in iced water which imme- 
diately puts out the furnace fires and arrests all digestion 
till the nerves and glands of the stomach rally from the 
shock and have time to rebuild them, is the source of a 
great part of the physical ills from which the American peo- 
ple suffer. Under these circumstances the gases generated 
distend the stomach so it presses uppn heart and lungs, and 
the suffering which ensues is often attributed to heart- 
disease. Many deaths result from the consequent heart- 
failure, when that vital organ itself is physically sound. 

If vegetables are not thoroughly cooked, they pass 
through the alimentary canal without yielding their nutri- 
ment or undergoing much alteration; and in some stom- 
achs they ferment and run into acids, causing heart-burn 
and disorders of the bowels. Underdone peas and beans 
are very nearly as great an insult to the organs of digestion 
as so many small pebbles would be ; the tough fibre of half- 
raw root vegetables is only less hard to attack than bark 
would be ; and yielding none of the nutriment which thor- 
ough boiling would develop, they become a dangerous 
source of irritation. 

It is not their being hot that makes the American break- 
fast-rolls and bread so indigestible, but their freshness, and 
the fact that they are so generally of fine white flour. Good 
stale bread and rolls can be warmed, if covered to prevent 
their drying, so they will be delicious. But if you are eat- 



(,6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ing for a good complexion be chary of the use of fine bolted 
flour either fresh or stale, — except in the form of crisp thin 
toast, — and supplement your vegetables and fruits with 
coarse breads and thoroughly cooked breakfast-cereals in 
small portions. 

The nutritive value of meats depends more upon their 
cooking than upon the choiceness of the cut. The expe- 
rienced, intelligent cook will send to the table a palatable 
stew made of the cheapest parts of beef that will yield more 
nutriment than a porterhouse or sirloin steak if it be fried. 
Roasting and broiling are the best methods of cooking 
meats, and the broiling should be done over a very hot fire, 
turning frequently and quickly so that the outside will crisp 
and shut in the rich juices. The same rule holds in roast- 
ing; that is, the oven should be very hot at first so as to 
crisp over the exterior of the roast ; then a slower heat is 
needed to cook through without over-doing. Beef should 
be eaten rare and all other meats well done, and especially 
young meats, as veal and lamb. If the meat is to be boiled, 
which is the perfect method of cooking a leg of mutton, 
it must be plunged in boiling water, so that the albumen 
of the exterior will coagulate and shut out the water. For 
the opposite reason, if the meat juices are to be extracted 
for soup-stock, the meat is placed in cold water and set on 
the back of the range, where it will heat slowly, and it is 
kept simmering — not boiling — for several hours. 

So much is the use of the frying-pan abused in America, 
that one prolific cause of dyspepsia and malnutrition would 
disappear if it were banished from the kitchen. The fat for 
frying should be very hot, and it is a great improvement 
to substitute cottolene or olive oil for lard. Whatever is 
fried should be cooked as quickly as possible, and when 
lifted from the fat placed on porous brown paper for a mo- 
ment to drain. Croquettes, fritters, French fried potatoes, 
etc., should have hot doileys (to absorb the grease) placed 
beneath them when sent to the table. 



THE IMPORTANT OFFICE OF WATER. 67 

The cook who knows of no way to prepare eggs but to 
fry them should be told that there are more than twelve 
hundred methods of serving this nutritious and always ac- 
ceptable food, and every cook ought to learn at, least a half- 
hundred of them. F^or summer breakfasts and luncheons 
a delicate omelette filled with asparagus-tips, stewed toma- 
toes, or chicken giblets is a delicious and healthful substi- 
tute for meat. 

There is a grave amount of ignorance on the subject of 
the office of water in the internal economy. Many obsti- 
nate, chronic cases of constipation are caused by the lack 
of sufficient water to aid in carrying off the waste and efifete 
matter. A first and imperative condition for a pure com- 
plexion is that all the excretory organs be kept in an active, 
healthful state. When it is understood that five sixths of 
the human body is water, that it enters into the structure 
of every organ and tissue, and that no food can be assimi- 
lated till it is reduced to liquid, the serious results of stinting 
the supply will be appreciated. A thorough flushing of the 
body daily is needed to assist and stimulate the internal 
organs to do their duty. When they are torpid, an undue 
amount of work is forced upon the skin, causing the dis- 
tention of the sebaceous and sudoriferous glands which be- 
come coarsened under their onerous work, and generally 
unsightly pimples and blotches ensue. Fewer people would 
have to go to the " spas " periodically for treatment if 
they would exercise the same care to drink water freely at 
home. It is best taken between meals. 

The supine indifference of whole communities as to the 
condition of the water they drink is amazing. Frequent 
causes of impurity are found in foul pipes, or a leakage of 
sewer-gas near by; and water standing in open vessels 
quickly absorbs impurity from the air. The Hirsch test is 
so simple that any one can try it: Take a pint bottle of 
clear white glass and fill it about two thirds with water; 
add a half-spoonful of granulated sugar; cork the bottle 



68 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

with. a new cork, — a glass stopper is better, — and stand it 
in the Hght in a warm room. If within forty-eight hours 
the water becomes cloudy or milky, it is unfit to drink. 
Another easy test is to keep at hand always a solution of 
permanganate of potash, — eight grains in an ounce of dis- 
tilled water. The solution is red, and if it lose color when a 
single drop of it be placed in a half-pint of the suspected 
water there must be impurities in it. Remember that per- 
fectly clear, odorless water often contains diseased organic 
matter. 

The mistakes of ignorance have led to a vast amount of 
self-inflicted sufifering, but now that science has come to 
our relief and indicated to us the broad highway to perfect 
physical health, the man or woman who knowingly strays 
into wayward paths of error and self-indulgence is crimi- 
nally heedless. So hopeful is the outlook for those who 
realize individual responsibility in every detail of daily life, 
that it is no idle prophecy to predict that the time is not 
distant when physiological chemistry will be able to decide 
exactly what regimen will best further the desire or ambi- 
tion to develop in certain directions, just as now the college 
athletic teams are trained to their work by rigid adherence 
to certain diet, exercise, baths, and sleep. 

Women the world over have the baneful habit of hugging 
the fireside too much and leading too inactive lives ; they 
often wear themselves to nervous wrecks by confining and 
monotonous indoor occupations. They need all the sun- 
shine, fresh air, and variety that they can possibly contrive 
to introduce into their lives. Sometimes a round of exact- 
ing household duties gives a woman all the exercise she 
has either time or strength for. But if she closely examines 
the routine of her duties she will find that some are made 
unnecessarily laborious, that others can be wisely dispensed 
with, that into certain ones variety can be introduced which 
will relieve monotony and thus make the task lighter, and 
that all will be more easily performed if fresh air and 



SELF-INFLICTED SUFFERING. 69 

the blessed sunshine are allowed to give a spring to the 
step. 

The woman whose most serious occupation in life is 
sitting for weary hours sewing superfluous trimming on 
her clothes, I beg most earnestly to transfer her interest 
and attention to these more permanent methods of enhanc- 
ing her attractions. She must become a disciple of Hygeia 
and devote herself with the same energy and enthusiasm 
to the study of the sources of health, grace, and beauty 
that she has heretofore lavished upon the minutiae of dress ; 
and she will then neglect any other duties before she de- 
nies herself her daily allowance of fresh air, sunshine, and 
exercise, into the proper regulation of which it will now 
be my pleasure to initiate her. 



CHAPTER IV. 



PHYSICAL CULTURE. 



" Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait. Beauty 
without expression tires." 

" Better to hunt in fields for heaUh unbought 
Than fee the doctor lor a nauseus draught. 
The wise for cure on exercise depend; 
God never made His work for man to mend." 

Objects in motion attract the eye before perfection of 
form. Therefore, the woman whose trained body is the out- 
ward expression of a pHant, sympathetic mind, presenting 
lovely curves instead of angles, and whose step is as Hght 
as that of the fawn, is the one who pleases first, and en- 
chains attention by the subtly expressive changes in her 
sinuous movements. 

The charm of Loie Fuller's dancing is not in the steps 
and gyrations of the traditional danscuse, but in the mar- 
vellous spiral, waving lines of drapery which the undulat- 
ing, circling movements of her supple body with its facile 
muscles and pliant limbs manipulate in a fascinating whirl; 
now resembling a giant lily and again devouring flames that 
lap and twist together in sinuous curves. It is an exposi- 
tion of the poetry of motion, and only possible with a body 
under absolute control, so lithe and lissome that the least 
unstudied motion is a curve of grace, and capable of an 
infinite variety of these. Always, it is the refreshing sur- 
prises of ever-new motions, never exactly repeating each 
other, like the leaping flames of the driftwood fire, that 

70 



THE SECRET OF GRACE. 7 1 

pique and fascinate the observant and cultivated eye. 

The Grecian Diana represents this type of perfected, 
graceful, wholesome womanhood, the symmetrical develop- 
ment of her stately form being the result of devotion to the 
chase and all out-of-door sports; and the modern girl and 
woman who would possess these powers of attraction must 
pursue like methods by adopting every means which mod- 
ern science has disclosed for the development of their won- 
drous organisms. 

Thus the secret of grace is complete control of the body; 
and, consequently, in cultivating beauty, of which grace is 
a component part, it is imperatively necessary to live and 
move naturally and with perfect freedom. Freedom from 
tension is a first condition for graceful poise and harmonic 
rhythm, and these are indispensable; in fact, they are vital 
points in the problem, possessing a distinct charm of them- 
selves, which is almost as indefinable as that quality in the 
atmosphere which invigorates us. It distinctly increases 
vitality, hence we call it stimulating. 

This condition is the opposite of resistance, and conse- 
quently takes to itself and appropriates all nutriment and 
strength that comes its way. Tension is continually spend- 
ing and never restoring. And this is a fatal pitfall, deeply 
excavated by habit, into which many women heedlessly step. 
" Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and 
at last we cannot break it." 

When a woman has learned to control her nerve-force 
she has gained a first element in attractiveness, for a sound 
nervous system is of primary importance in giving and 
storing vitality and the power to endure. The mere rest- 
fulness which this self-control imparts gives pleasure; but, 
more than all else, it is this favorable condition of the body 
which makes possible the free expression of the spirit. 

Woman is a reckless spendthrift of strength, and makes 
the most ruinous overdrafts upon her nerves, sapping their 
strength and vitality, until they are so broken down by pain 



72 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and weariness that the reserve force, the nerve capital, is 
exhausted. Lethargy and want of co-ordination in the 
great gangHonic centres ensue, and in this crippled condi- 
tion her soul has only a most imperfect means of commu- 
nication with the outer world. The soul, the ego, is always 
well, being the connecting link with the source of all vital 
strength, with life itself; but it is sadly handicapped in its 
efforts to express itself without the medium of the physically 
perfect body. Dr. Helen Densmore says: " It seems to me 
plain that the more physiologically we live, the more per- 
fectly we build this material temple, the more easily the 
spirit can shine through, revealing its nature, which is al- 
ways the same." 

In considering the training of the girl to fit her for the 
most perfect fulfillment of the varied responsibilities of her 
life and their enjoyment, Ruskin says: "The first of our 
duties to her — no thoughtful persons now doubt this — is to 
secure for her such physical training and exercise as may 
confirm her health and perfect her beauty, the highest re- 
finement of that beauty being unattainable without splendor 
of activity and of delicate strength. To perfect her beauty, 
I say, and increase its power; it cannot be too powerful, 
nor shed its sacred light too far: only remember that all 
physical freedom is vain to produce beauty without a cor- 
responding freedom of heart." 

By '' freedom of heart," this great and inspired student 
of Nature means freedom from the weariness of doubt, the 
morbid self-questioning caused by constant rebuke and 
fault-finding, the irksomeness of restraint, — those unvvdse 
restrictions which are hurled at a girl, oftener than not from 
force of habit, with a '' Don't do this," and " Don't do that." 
These things to the girl are what anxiety, hurrv, and worry 
are to the woman, and are inimical to beauty, because they 
depress, and hence sow the seeds of disorder. It is 

"Vital feelings of delight 
Shall rear her form to stately height." 




VENUS OF MILO. 



HAPPINESS A BEAUTIFIER. 73 

You cannot make the girl too happy and light of spirit, 
for happiness is the only natural tonic we can give the 
nerves. They respond so beautifully to it that the wonder 
is we haven't schools the wide world over for teaching the 
art of cultivating happiness, together with the great truth 
that its one unfailing source is within ourselves. 

Graceful motions and bearing of the body always give 
the impression of reserve strength, the repose of perfect 
poise based upon inward vitality. Now, this vitality is both 
physical and mental; the first giving muscular strength, and 
the second the nerve-control which springs from confidence 
and serenity. One word more concerning habit: In mat- 
ters physical, we come by nothing intuitively. No one 
plays Mendelssohn's " Spinning Song " till the muscles of 
the fingers have been trained by repetition to automatic 
velocity in its peculiar technique. And thus in everything 
we are creatures of training; that in which we are '' assid- 
uously trained becomes habit, and habit becomes second 
nature. All our thoughts and emotions are closely connected 
with our sensations. Fear chills the blood; love and hope 
warm.it. . . . The attitudes of the body correspond with 
the emotions of the mind, and the attitude of weakness and 
fear contracts the chest, compresses the lungs, retards the 
action of the heart, and brings a thousand physical ills in its 
train; while the attitude of firmness, courage, and hope ex- 
pands the chest, makes vigorous the action of the heart and 
lungs, and brings health." 

The Grecian philosophers formulated the principle that 
the soul and body should be trained together, for they 
had an earnest and lively comprehension of their inter- 
relations, which made the training of one without due con- 
sideration of the other a distinct disadvantage. The Greek 
ideal of beauty and goodness was the vision of a fair soul in 
a fair body. But the profound significance of this truth was 
lost sight of by the early Christian Fathers, who, under the 
mistaken idea of disciplining the body, degraded it. The 



74 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

centuries which followed heaped error upon e"ror, be- 
littling the soul as well, and clipping its wings of freedom. 
The true science of life, all the Divine purpose in impos- 
ing this earthl}^ discipline upon the souls of men, was so 
sedulously perverted that the upbuilding influences of hap- 
piness and joy in the beautiful, whether concrete or abstract, 
artistic or ethical, were placed under the ban as snares of 
Satan. 

Truly, humanity has made a vast stride forward in free- 
ing itself from the long-established dogma of the antago- 
nism between mind and matter. And yet it seems to be 
a circle that we have traversed, or, rather, a great spiral 
coil; for we have come back to the Greek, but we are above 
him. Our spiritual life is higher, hence ethical purpose is 
more exalted and refined, yet it is only the upper stratum 
among our teeming millions who enjoy the privileges of 
physical culture which were the recognized heritage of 
every Greek. Plato taught that '' The young citizens must 
not be allowed to grow up amongst images of evil, lest their 
souls assimilate the ugliness of their surroundings. Rather 
they should be like men living in a beautiful and healthy 
place; from everything that they see and hear, loveliness, 
like a breeze, should pass into their souls, and teach them 
without their knowing it the truth of which beauty is a 
manifestation." 

And thus we go back -through all the centuries of our 
Christian era to find in Pagan Greece a maxim which if it 
could be applied universally would educate crime out of 'ex- 
istence. Already a beginning has been made by humani- 
tarians who have inaugurated experimental systems in 
many centres of educational and relief work among those 
children whence come recruits for the criminal classes. The 
first efforts were direct appeals to the mind through objects 
of beauty; as pictures, flowers, pleasant environment, 
cleanliness, and order. But the promptest and most grati- 
fying results in character-building, the real uplifting, have 



CHARACTER-BUILDING THROUGH PHYSICAL CULTURE. 75 

come from the physical training which in correcting morbid 
conditions and habits of the body hfted the same incubus 
from the mind. This is the most hopeful stage that has 
been reached in humanitarian work, and I mention it here 
only to strengthen my argument for that culture of the 
physique which ultimates in harmony — hence beauty — both 
in action and in repose. 

In their beneficent aims for the advantage of the daugh- 
ters of men, the followers of both Hygeia and Venus have 
found their most powerful ally in physical exercises, and 
so thoroughly has this branch of human development been 
studied and systematized that the subject is now sub-divided 
into therapeutic, educational, and aesthetic, or psycho-phys- 
ical, exercises. 

When Descartes proclaimed the theory that if it could 
be possible to perfect the human race the means must be 
sought through medicine, he used the word in a sense not 
generally understood, not meaning cure but care. We 
go even further now and make of medipine merely an assist- 
ant, sometimes only a staf¥ for the mind to lean upon, and 
find in exercise the remedy for many diseases and abnor- 
mal conditions, and the means for perfect development. 

The Swedish Movement Cure was the first therapeutic 
method generally known in modern times, though the 
Greeks understood it well, and consequently the opinion 
has prevailed that all Swedish systems were remedial; but 
the Swedish educational exercises are quite as valuable as 
the so-called " movement cure." The Swedish system was 
arranged by Dr. Ling, of Sweden, nearly a century ago, and 
he studied every system known, beginning with Greek 
gymnastics, and tested the hygienic value of every move- 
ment, rejecting all that encouraged or permitted bad pos- 
tures or which possessed no remedial influence. From 
them all he selected sixty elementary movements based 
upon the theory of systematized progression. Later stu- 
dents with the advantage of modern science have introduced 



76 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFt?L. 

many improvements and changes in the movements but re- 
tained the theory. 

Remedial Swedish movements — medical, or therapeutic, 
gymnastics — are designed, as the name implies, to cure; 
that is, to restore normal conditions and correct abnormal 
ones. In very many organic diseases they are more effica- 
cious than any medicine. The educational exercises are 
aimed solely to promote the most perfect and harmonious 
development of the body. Due training of the body and 
maintenance of health were the first part of the education 
of a Greek child. But Prodicus, experimenting successfully 
upon himself, was the first to point out the therapeutic value 
of gymnastics, and he formulated a method which was 
amplified and improved by Hippocrates. Galen, also, and 
all ancient medical writers laid great stress upon the im- 
portance of gymnastic stimulants of the physical functions. 

One of Dr. Ling's fundamental principles is: " The gym- 
nastic value of an exercise depends upon how it combines 
the greatest effect upon the body with simplicity and beauty 
of performance." The advocates of the system lay very 
great stress upon the importance of a rigid adherence to the 
theory of progression, not only in the arrangement of the 
movements for daily exercise, but in their evolution week 
after week. 

Baron Nils Posse gives the following order for educa- 
tional movements : 

1. Introductory exercises. 6. Abdominal exercises. 

2. Arch-flexions. 7. Lateral trunk-movements. 

3. Heaving movements. 8. Slow leg-movements. 

4. Balance movements. 9. Jumping and vaulting. 

5. Shoulder-blade movements. 10. Respiratory exercises. 

The introductory exercises are what in military drill 
would be called " setting-up exercises," initiating the stu- 
dent in muscular control, correct posture, and attention. 
Arch-flexions are the bending of the trunk, especially back- 
ward, with arms raised aloft, which draws the lower ribs 



- THE SWEDISH SYSTEM OF EXERCISE. 77 

apart, vaults the chest forward, straightens the dorsal re- 
gion of the back, and strengthens the lower muscles of the 
abdomen. Although apparatus is used with some of the 
movements, the Swedish system does not depend upon it, 
hence it is considered very practical for home use. 

Miss Marguerite Lindley says: ''Every Swedish move- 
ment is the embodiment of mechanical, psychological, and 
physiological laws. . . . The mechanical laws . . . are 
mainly those of leverage, resistance, and poise, or equilib- 
rium. The physiological are those relating to organic, 
muscular, and nervous conditions. The psychological re- 
late to the development of courage and skill, and to repose 
and will power, which are employed in localizing the energy 
to certain groups of muscles while isolating others; in fact, 
causing a muscle to follow the thought, or, as more com- 
monly expressed, ' willing a muscle.' " 

Miss Lindley has arranged a series of Swedish move- 
m.ents without apparatus for home practice, and adapted 
them to American women and children, which she has pub- 
lished under the title of " Health in the Home." Those 
who cannot have the advantage of a skillful and thoroughly 
trained teacher will find the book a valuable aid, but the im- 
portance of instruction where it is possible to obtain it must 
not be underestimated. Still do not make the mistake of 
believing that any teacher is better than none; for a thor- 
oughly scientific book and an intelligent woman can to- 
gether achieve better results than a so-called teacher who is 
but half-equipped for her profession, and too often is" en- 
tirely ignorant of both physiology and anatomy; a knowl- 
edge of which is of course indispensable in directing exer- 
cises for the correction of physical defects. Specific defects, 
also, require specific treatment; hence the necessity of in- 
dividual direction in order to reap the full benefit which is 
now attainable through physical-culture exercises. 

To have value, development must be harmonious; there- 
fore, the aim for every woman is the perfect balance and 



78 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. " 

equilibrium of all parts, not mere muscular development. 
Nature must be encouraged in all normal activity, and at 
the same time care must be exercised to correct abnormal 
tendencies, — the erratic idiosyncrasies which will crop out 
and which are stronger and more assertive than normal in- 
clinations. I once knew a young girl of perfectly symmetri- 
cal form who had so vicious a habit when standing that 
she appeared deformed. She lopped over on one side, mak- 
ing that leg bear all the weight of her body and thrust the 
abdomen forward in painful prominence, then slightly 
swayed, or twisted, the whole trunk, one shoulder being at 
least three inches higher than the other. Though she was 
gentle and lovely in character, and amenable to all other 
correction, habit had so fixed this singular fault that it was 
as difficult to overcome as a radical physical defect would 
have been. 

The habitual pose of the body is the first matter which 
should receive critical attention. Conventional movements 
are so often based on error. When faults of position or mo- 
tion and unequal or inharmonious development are once 
recognized, the task of correction is simplified to devising 
those exercises which will correct these. Curvature of the 
spine is caused by a bad posture which favors weak muscles 
and hence encourages their degeneration; for it is a natural 
law that everything which is not used is dispensed with as 
soon as possible, and consequently being " out of commis- 
sion," as it were, is all the time deteriorating. 

Predisposition to curvature may be hereditary or arise 
from malnutrition or from sleeping in poorly ventilated 
rooms, which from vitiating the blood and lowering the 
tone of the whole system encourages abnormal- conditions 
in whatsoever chances to be the weakest part of the body. 
The carrying of unequal burdens — sometimes nothing more 
than a bag of school-books always on one arm or shoulder 
— may produce curvature of the spine or an irregular de- 
velopment of the shoulders. Thus it is imperative that chil- 



COMMON DEFECTS AND THEIR REMEDY. 79 

dren should be trained to good habits of posture. Every 
group of muscles has its corresponding opposing group. 
If the two be not equally exercised, one is stronger and 
longer, hence unequal development, — deformity, if it be 
pronounced. The remedy is naturally the encouragement 
and stimulation of the weaker muscles by special exercises. 

There is a constant giving and taking — technically called 
exosmose and endosmose — in every minutest part of the 
body, and anything which retards this or prevents the nor- 
mal cellular activity creates disease. It is the enforced in- 
activity of brain-workers and the voluntary inactivity of a 
large majority of women which creates the diseases to 
which they are prone, for a certain measure of physical ex- 
ercise is required to stimulate this healthful interaction. 
Increased pressure of the blood through accelerated circu- 
lation renders this process of assimilation and elimination 
rnuch livelier, gives the necessary impetus to the flow of 
lymph and the circulation through that source of so much 
evil, generally through abuse, the'livel*; and the resulting 
thorough internal activity reacts immediately in the most 
beneficial manner upon the mental and moral nature, im- 
parting such a consciousness of reserve power that ease of 
manner, self-possession, resolution, and confidence follow 
as a matter of course. 

Emerson, emphasizing natural law, says: ''The child 
with his sweet pranks, the fool of his senses, commanded 
by every sight and sound,'. . . lies down at night over- 
powered by the fatigue which this day of continued pretty 
madness has incurred. But Nature has answered her purpose 
with the curly, dimpled lunatic. She has kept every faculty, 
and has secured the symmetrical growth of the bodily 
frame, by all these attitudes and exertions, — an end of the 
first importance, which could not be trusted to any care 
less perfect than her own." The pity of it is that so many 
mothers are blind to Nature's teaching and ignorantly per- 
vert divinely implanted instincts by unwise restraints. It 



8o THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

is artificial methods of life, habits, and customs, that pro- 
duce most of the evils from which humanity at present suf- 
fers. 

Natural posture is perfect, as bears witness the arrow- 
like Indian. The splendid forms of the people of Upper 
Egypt and especially Nubia were objects of Lady Dufif- 
Gordon's constant admiration. At the Upper Cataract 
were two beautiful Nubian women whom she first saw 
bearing antique water-jars upon their heads. Their superb 
figures and pose were purest Grecian in type, and she felt 
as if they had just stepped out of a wall-picture; their very 
dress and ornaments were the same as those represented on 
the tombs. They recjuired no physical-culture exercises 
either to develop their figures or to stimulate circulation 
and respiration; for in that favorable climate life is passed 
mostly out-of-doors and bodies are never starved for fresh 
air, while the mode of life insures healthful activity. 

The fatal defect in our civilization is that we have failed 
to recognize the importance of developing strong bodies 
first to hold sane minds; and that the brain and nerves, 
our medium of communication with this world, are a part, 
and much the most delicate part, of the physical entity, 
and necessarily are most sympathetically and structurally 
affected by everything that lowers its vitality. The first to 
observe this tendency in modern life was Rousseau, who, 
in the last century, endeavored to arouse public attention 
to the widespread deterioration in physique which general 
indifference to athletic games and exercises had brought 
upon the human race, and he urged their introduction into 
the school curriculum. But it has taken over a century to 
excite anything approaching general interest in this so im- 
portant reform, and though we have gone back to the Greek 
for his principles and* theories we have not yet approached 
his universal application of them. An important step in ad- 
vance will be taken when it is generally known that there 
are different degrees of deformity. Plato maintained that 



BODY-CULTURE IS NERVE-CULTURE. 8l 

those who were educated in mind and morals only and pos- 
sessed untrained bodies were cripples. 

The judicious adjustment of physical to mental training 
doubles the ability to do brain-work, and transforms tasks 
into positive enjoyment; for the lightness and exuberance 
of spirit which go hand in hand with the active body stimu- 
late the mind and all its faculties, and the alertness of atten- 
tion and memory thus gained halves every mental effort. 
When the vital system is depressed by sluggish action, the 
labor of the brain becom.es feeble and defective; it is quickly 
exhausted; and the lashing it to simulated activity by medi- 
cinal stimulants makes fatal drafts on futurity. Encourage 
natural activity by natural means and the brain is a most 
willing servant, gaining strength and ability with every 
task. 

Herbert Spencer in an eloquent argument against the 
forcing system, whose effects he claimed were even more 
deleterious upon girls than upon boys, says: 

" In the pale, angular, flat-chested young ladies, so abundant in 
London drawing-rooms, we see the effect of merciless application 
unrelieved by youthfuL sports; and this physical degeneracy ex- 
hibited by them hinders their welfare far more than their many 
accomplishments aid it. Mamas anxious to make their daughters 
attractive could scarcely choose a course more fatal than this, which 
sacrifices the body to the mind. Either they disregard the tastes of 
the opposite sex, or else their conception of those tastes is erron- 
ous. Men care comparatively little for erudition in women; but 
very much for physical beauty and good nature and sound sense." 

There ^as been a brave change since Spencer wrote thus, 
for the most sensible fad ever approved by Fashion has in- 
duced many women and girls to pursue out-of-door sports 
with healthful enthusiasm ; but, unhappily, these privileges 
are restricted to the favored classes, and the light has not 
yet spread much beyond what we might call the dawn of 
promise for the masses. 

" Never since the world began was the art of body- 
building so well understood as now." It remains only to 



82 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

rouse the public to an appreciation of its value. The sys- 
tems of physical culture are multiplying fast, all with a 
clientele of earnest advocates who will try to prove to you 
that theirs is the '' one and only." That it does not so much 
matter, however, by what particular system or method you 
exercise, as that you do it, is proved by the shining exam- 
ples who have worked out their own salvation without 
either books or teacher, and with no aid but their own good 
sense, perseverance, and determination. Those who are 
seeking for knowledge and help will find it. 

Think not that all training must be given to the girl, 
and that in adult life there is no hope to gain advantage 
from physical exercises. On the contrary, they are all the 
more important, because, in the majority of cases, women 
lead so inactive lives that they have much greater need of 
the physical stimulus which exercise alone can give. All 
occupations which compel or encourage the holding of the 
body in the same position for a long time are detrimental to 
its symmetry and health. 

Prof. Blaikie (" How to get Strong "), dwelling upon the 
resulting condition of such bodily inactivity, says : '' Noth- 
ing is done to render the body lithe and supple; to develop 
the idle muscles; to deepen the breathing and quicken the 
circulation — in short to tone up the whole system. No 
wonder such a day's work, and such a way of living, leaves 
the body tired and exhausted." The underlying law of 
beauty being harmony or symmetry, as previously ex- 
plained, so the underlying law of symmetry is equalized, 
balanced movement; and the absorption of nutriment which 
results from the consequent muscular contractions is taken 
up much more by the nerves even than by the muscles. 
This is the secret of the beneficent influence upon the ner- 
vous system which every woman reaps from physical ex- 
ercises. 

All exercise to be beneficial must arouse interest and 
divert the mind into new channels. To restore it after ex- 



WHAT EXERCISE DOES FOR GIRL AND WOMAN. 83 

hausting labor, it needs not only absolute rest from the pre- 
vious train of thoughts but that incentive and diversion 
which entirely difterent subjects impart. This gives buoy- 
ancy and inspiration. In the gymnasiums of our women's 
colleges where regular attendance is compulsory, this 
absence of incentive was noticed, as also the fact that the 
exercises, whether heavy or light gymnastics, were apt to 
degenerate into mechanical work; and it was found that 
some of the ploddingly studious girls kept their minds on 
their lessons every moment, taking only a languid interest 
in the exercises themselves, and not at all appreciating or 
understanding the important advantage of turning the 
thoughts into a different channel. 

This it was which led to the introduction and encour- 
agement of all games and sports which could excite emula- 
tion and lure the students into free out-of-door exercise. 
At Cornell, the women students have formed " The Sports 
and Pastimes Association," which fosters any number of 
clubs devoted to special pursuits; as, g5lf, tennis, fencing, 
swimming, rowing, cycling, and basket-ball. Active mem- 
bership in a club exempts from gymnasium work. The en- 
thusiasm, activity, and energy thus aroused are in them- 
selves re-creating; while the desire to excel increases the 
interest in regular gymnastic exercises, because students 
find in them a means of developing certain skill, and they 
ceased to be aimless. 

The brain derives a twofold benefit from these pastimes, 
for a different set of nerve-cells are being- taxed, and con- 
sequently trained, while those used in study are being re- 
cuperated by rest. Observation, attention, penetration, 
foresight, and precision, — these are the faculties which are 
given a course of mental gymnastics and gain strength and 
readiness with the repetition of exercise. Someone has 
said: "To play gracefully and accurately is an evidence of 
the best physical training," and it might be added, of val- 
uable mental training as well. 



84 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

But aside from the physical and mental benefits, there 
are important social results from this intimate association 
of women in organizations. It draws women out of them- 
selves, broadens their views, and trains their judgment into 
greater accuracy, and cultivates a charitable tolerance for 
opposite opinions and personal idiosyncrasies. George Eliot 
packed a volume of good advice for women into exquisite 
brevity when she said: ''The best lesson of tolerance we have 
to learn is to tolerate intolerance." And this close commun- 
ion of women and girls in the intimate companionship of 
mutual interest and pleasure is excellent discipline for ac- 
quiring this attractive ethical pliability. 

In small towns where social opportunities are limited, 
and people are prone to settle into a dull, unhealthful 
monotony, a stagnation that affects both minds and bodies, 
a sports-and-pastimes club would introduce new life and 
vigor which should elevate the whole community, by draw- 
ing the people nearer together in mutual interests and en- 
joyment and broadening the mental horizon beyond the 
petty round of daily duty. Statistics prove that our insane 
asylums are recruited from the ranks of those whose hum- 
drum lives cause their minds to grow inert; and, from lack 
of outside interests, they devour themselves. It is a habit 
of life which is most dangerous, and oftener drifted into 
voluntarily than from any force of circumstances; and all 
those who have the progress and welfare of the human race 
at heart should oppose their influence to it whenever oppor- 
tunity offers. Nothing good ever came out of stagnation. 
The unchanging law of the universe is life and motion. 
These are the forces that move the world and bring to us 
all good, and our bodies are microcosms obeying the law. 
In torpidity is disease and death; in motion, progress, de- 
velopment, and ultimate perfection. 

It is quite generally conceded that successful physical 
culture never loses sight of the importance of combining 
the regular gymnastic drill, whether with or without appa- 



GRACE, NOT MUSCULAR STRENGTH, THE OBJECT. 85 

ratus, with the Delsarte system; the former promoting 
health and symmetry and the latter supplying grace and 
freedom of movement. Muscular strength — per se — be- 
yond the point of health and harmonious development has 
not been sought, nor will it ever be; for it is neither needed 
by woman nor does it enhance her attractions. Indeed, so 
great is the fear of these being lessened by physical ex- 
ercises that already a woman physician, Dr. Isabella 
Kenealy, of England, has voiced a protest, which, naturally 
enough, is exciting ridicule. It is suggested that Dr. K. is 
thinking of her own medical practice which the increasing 
health of women renders insecure. The doctor's book 
brings out the fact that " There has been a great change 
in English girls during the last thirty years." She does 
not deny that the girl of to-day is happier for her abounding 
health and confers joy on all around her; but advances the 
very weak argument against athletic games and exercises 
" that athletic girls are less womanly than they should be." 

Now this ridiculous condemnation of healthful habits all 
comes from the fact that there are here and there mistaken 
girls who afifect certain masculine ways and cultivate a de- 
gree of mannish attire, never becoming or attractive. As 
an instance : I sat studying in a public library recently, and 
observed at the table back of me a blonde youth who was a 
stranger. Rising and passing his table, I received a mental 
shock whenT noticed that the nether garment of the crea- 
ture was a skirt. I think I never quite appreciated before 
the heinous offense against her femineity which a woman 
commits in usurping mannish clothes. My equilibrium was 
as painfully upset as if I had seen a monstrosity. 

There is a happy medium, the juste milieu, which good 
taste and good sense can always attain. The sensible 
woman and girl will not be swerved from their pursuit of 
health, or consent longer to be '' the chief support of the 
doctors," because a foolish few find means of perverting the 
good. If further incentive to exercise be needed hear what 



86 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Mr. Finck says in his book, " Romantic Love and Personal 
Beauty": 

"Always bear in mind that grace of movement often excels 
beauty of form in the power of inspiring love. And remember that 
any pains you take to acquire grace will not only multiply your own 
charms, but will establish a habit of graceful movement in your 
muscles which will be inherited by your children." 

The first step is to critically examine yourself; find out 
the weak places, the undeveloped parts or side of your 
body, and by special efifort strengthen the weaker muscles. 
Once this is done, — and it is surprising what a change can 
be wrought in a few months, with only an hour's work 
daily, — equal work for all the muscles will keep the body in 
perfect health. Not only that: it will put it in an attitude 
of resistance to all disease, making you practically immune. 
It is torpid organs and vitiated blood, causing a generally 
low state of vitality, which expose one to any malady the 
germs of which chance to be in the air; while colds with 
all their attendant evils are simply a matter of course. 

In a French family of ancicn regime, all the women 
have been noted for the superb carriage of their figures, — 
un port de deesse, — and it is acquired by this drill in youth: 
Three times a day, morning, noon, and night, they stand 
against a door in such a pose that the back of the head, 
shoulders, elbows, back, palms, and heels will -press against 
it. At first, it is difficult to hold the pose longer than a half- 
minute; but as soon as it can be, it should be maintained 
for one minute. In the family mentioned, the exercise is 
not necessary after the eighteenth year, and never is the 
injunction, " Hold yourself erect, my dear," needed. It is 
an admirable test of pose, however, and a good exercise 
for all ages. 

There is an unfortunate misunderstanding about what 
an erect posture is (See illustration, Nos. i, 2). Many 
women habitually droop the torso at the hips, throwing the 
abdomen forward, which distends its muscles but does not 



UPON CORRECT POSE. 



^7 



strengthen them; and think themselves straight if they 
bend the shoulders back, carrying the head in the same line 
and tipping the -chin out. This throws the whole body out 
of balance and is a fatiguing strain upon the Whole spine 
and especially the small of the back. You are also out of 
harmony in this position, destroying natural curves of 
strength and producing meaningless, weak ones. It is this 
unnatural pose that makes so many women and girls tire 
out quickly when either standing or walking. 

When you rise to your feet, the whole body should take 
on a slight degree of tension, bringing all the extensor mus- 



No. I. 



No. 2. 



cles into equal action, so that every part does its work with- 
out perceptible strain. In this balanced position the weight 
of the body is borne by the balls of the feet more than the 
heels ; the chest is held high, and a plumb-line dropped from 
it would fall only slightly in advance of the toes; which, 
if the heels be placed together, should be turned out at an 
angle from each other of forty-five degrees. There should 
be no concave curve at the waist in the profile outline. The 
weight of the arms should hang from the shoulder-blades, 
not from the chest. With the weight thus supported, the 
line of gravity falls within the line of the feet; if you can 
rise upon the toes without swaying the body, the position 



88 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

is usually correct. The greater the displacement out of the 
line of gravity, the greater the strain on certain muscles, 
and consequent fatigue. 

If the body is held in this harmonious poise in all the 
occupations of life, whether sitting or walking, it will be 
found to minimize the fatigue of daily duties. It is the 
throwing of double work on some muscles and usually in a 
strained, unnatural position, leaving others in idleness, that 
causes more than half the pain of back and limb which 
women suffer. Even that bugbear with so many women, 
walking up stairs, is a healthful exercise that can harm 
none when done correctly, with figure erect, legs and joints 
flexible, and breathing not forgotten. None, not even the 
young, should run up stairs. It throws too much work 
upon the heart. See the illustration of correct pose, in re- 
production of Burne-Jones's famous picture, '* The Golden 
Stairway." 

With regard to the position of the feet there are widely 
divergent opinions. The Swedish system directs that the 
toes be turned out at an angle of ninety degrees from each 
other, which suggests splay-footedness and is apt to throw 
the weight off the centre of the sole, as will be seen by the 
wearing of the inner edge of the shoe-soles. It is almost as 
awkward as the other extreme of being pigeon-toed. Dr. 
Ellis, who has made a thorough study of the foot in stand- 
ing and walking from the surgeon's point of view, is equally 
didactic in pronouncing that the natural pose is with par- 
allel feet. One has only to try these methods to discard 
them both as equally awkward and illogical. The last part 
of the foot to leave the ground in walking or running is tlie 
great toe, and the direction of the body will be in the line 
which that forms from the ball of the foot. If you wish to 
hop at an angle to the right on one foot, turn the right 
foot out to an angle of ninety degrees (that is, forty-five 
from the medial line) and it will take you there; and if 
you would go diagonally to the left, turn the same foot 



RIGHT AND WRONG POSE M^HEN SITTING. 



89 



straight forward and it will hop in that direction. Look at 
the feet of the Venus of Medici, Apollo Belvidere, or the 
Diana of Praxiteles for corroboration of the generally ap- 
proved position given with correct pose. Checkley cautions 
women especially against the in-toeing habit, which he 
warns them encourages a contraction of the forward pelvic 
region. 

The sitting posture is generally as faulty as the standing 
one. The bending of the body in a lounging, relaxed atti- 
tude with curved spine when sewing or writing trebles the 
fatigue, for it strains the whole back and shoulders and 





No. 3. 



No. 4. 



cramps the chest, encouraging that other vice, stagnant, 
lazy breathing. The spine should be held erect, and the 
support, if it be needed at the lower end, can be given by 
sitting well back in the chair so it will be braced against 
the chair-back. (See illustration, Nos. 3, 4.) When sewing 
or reading, a straight-backed chair, which supports the 
shoulders also, is the best. All bending of the body when 
leaning over the work should come from the hips, not the 
waist. It is treating the waist as if there were a joint there 
which causes such aching shoulders and backs. The desk 
or table at which you write should be just the height of 
your elbow when it hangs freely from the shoulder. Most 



90 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

desks are too high, and the strain upon the wrist and fore- 
arm when writing continuously is very much greater from 
the shoulder and elbow being thrust out of normal position 
so long. All bending at the desk, also, should be from the 
hips wdien necessary to lean over at all, and never from the 
waist. It will require constant attention, at first, to over- 
come a fixed habit; but the reward in fatigue saved and in- 
creased vitality is immense. 

The sagging of the body by the' bend at the w^aist and re- 
sulting cramped chest, depresses all the vital organs in 
position as w-ell as condition, distending and relaxing their 
muscles till they lose the power of contractility. An 
enlarged, protruding abdomen, with torpid bowels; a w^eak 
heart, from its cramped position, and a dyspeptic stomach; 
half-developed lungs, susceptible to every change in the 
weather, — these are some of the perfectly natural results, 
arguing from cause to effect. For all these organs are thus 
forced from an inch to three or more inches below their 
natural position when the body is held correctly. All these 
evils can be overcome if you have sufficient will-pow-er to 
apply the remedy. 

Deep breathing should ahvays precede and accompany 
all physical exercises. There is no voluntary function of 
the body which is habitually performed in so slovenly a 
manner. Mr. Finck says: '' Nineteen people out of twenty 
are too lazy to breathe properly." And he thinks^ there are 
few W'hose personal appearance would not be improved by 
frequent " meals of fresh ai.r, consisting of twenty to fifty 
deep inspirations in the open air." I shall have more to 
say upon this subject in the next chapter; but please hold 
in mind the fact that the lungs are Nature's first and princi- 
pal agent in purifying the blood. If you stint them of oxy- 
gen the venous blood returns to the arteries unpurified, and 
when it reaches the minute capillaries wdiere the current has 
lost all its swiftness and w^here good blood yields its rebuild- 
ing nutriment to the tissues, part of these impurities are re- 



THE IMPORTANCE OF LUNG-GYMNASTICS. 9 1 

tained and Nature tries to force them through the skin, 
often with unsightly results. 

As soon as correct pose is natural to you, and for your 
encouragement I will tell you that it will become second na- 
ture as soon as you bring your will-power to bear upon it, 
the preliminary w^ork for all exercises will be to take four 
or five deep, full breaths. Inflate your lungs till you feel 
that the air has penetrated the remotest corners, and, hold- 
ing it while you count six, exhale it slowly and thoroughly. 
Be sure that no part of the work is slighted, that the upper 
lungs are as completely aerated as the lower. As a rule 
men almost ignore their upper lungs, hence are" more liable 
to consumption than women. 

The following breathing and arm exercises combined, 
which expand the chest and correct round shoulders, are 
excellent to begin work and to alternate with leg and trunk 
exercises: Arms hanging free from shoulders, place hands 
side by side, palms inward with thumbs interlaced, in front 
of you; then raise the arms straight up over your head, 
at the same time inhaling a deep breath. When you can 
control the perfect poise of your body, and shoulder and 
chest muscles are flexible, you can raise them without ef- 
fort. The measure of its difUculty will be the gauge of your 
habitual errors. Hold the arms while you count five; then 
slowly lower them while you exhale the breath. Repeat 
five times. When you have sufficient control over your 
breathing, try the same movement with this variation: hold 
the breath while slowly lowering the arms ; then release the 
breath slowdy. In these movements, throw the nerve force 
into the finger-tips, as if you were stretching the whole 
arm. 

Extend the arms above the head in same position, then 
take a deep breath while you bring them down slowly in 
a semi-circle at the sides till the little fingers touch the legs, 
palms being outward. This is one of the best exercises to 
secure perfect poise. Alternating this motion, that is, right 



92 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



arm extended upward and left stretched downward as far 
as possible, then z'ice versa, is an effective liver-squeezer. 
It will increase the stimulus for this purpose to use light In- 
dian clubs or dumb-bells (See illustration, No. 5). Both 
movements should be repeated from five to ten times. 

An admirable exercise in equilibrium which gives sup- 
pleness to the body and strengthens the legs, is to rise 
slowly on the balls of the feet; then, keeping the body from 
the hips upward erect, throw the arms backward about 
eighteen inches, relax the leg muscles, bend the knees, and 
drop quickly as low as possible. As the body descends, let 



\ 




\ / 

\ i 

\ I 

/ \ 



^r^ 




No. 5. 



No. 6. 



the arms swing downwards and forwards. This helps to 
maintain the balance, and with the elasticity of the body 
will assist in recovering the position. Do not drop to the 
heels till you are erect (See illustration. No. 7). Psycho- 
physical culture teaches here that it is fear alone which 
makes it difficult to keep the perfect poise and insists upon 
the mind's holding a thought of equilibrium, and confi- 
dence; then muscular strain, which is the reflection of fear, 
will not constrain you. It will take a good deal of practice 
to execute the movement perfectly, and should not be at- 
tempted till considerable body- and muscle-control is 
gained, but the reward pays for the effort. 



TO FILL OUT THE NECK AND THKOAT. 



93 



The best exercise I have found for expanding the chest 
and fining out the hollows of neck and throat is to rise upon 
the tips of the toes at the moment of inhalation and hold 
the breath, throwing it forcibly against the muscles of throat 
and neck, while you count fifteen; then exhale forcibly, 
with open mouth, and come down upon the heels. At first, 
it may be difficult to hold the breath so long, but begin with 
five counts and extend it gradually. Repeat ten times, 
night and morning, when there are no restricting bands 
about the body. You will see a great change within two 
weeks. Should it cause dizziness, alternate with this exer- 





No. 7. 



No. 



cise, which is also a chest expander and helps to develop a 
beautiful neck: Bring the fists up to the shoulders, then 
energize the elbows, bring them forward, and then throw 
them as far back as possible. The backward thrust should 
be done with energy and on a full breath. After this ex- 
tend the elbows horizontally — keeping the arms doubled 
as before — and move them up and down like a pump han- 
dle (See illustration, No. 10). Throw the arms straight for- 
ward four times, then sideways, then above the head. All 
these movements must be made with energy, — just as if 
you wanted to hit something,; — and with the pose of the 
body held perfectly. 



94 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



The following exercises are specially intended to 
strengthen the abdominal muscles, take off redundant flesh, 
stimulate the digestive functions, and to make and keep the 
body lithe and supple : 

Draw in the muscles of the abdomen, inhale a deep breath 
as you raise the arms above the head till the thumbs meet, 
and flex the torso backward as far as possible; recover 
pose, and as you exhale bring the arms down in a sweeping 
curve forwards, till the finger-tips touch the floor in front 
of your toes (See illustration. No. 8). Avoid haste in all ex- 





No. 9. 



No. 10. 



ercises, and repeat to point of slight fatigue, not beyond 
that. 

Raise the arms straight above the head, palms together, 
takt in a deep inspiration, and rise at the same moment 
upon your toes, take five or six steps across the room; 
then expel the breath as you lower the arms and come down 
upon the heels. 

With arms hanging lifeless from the shoulders, — tech- 
nically called '' decomposed," or " devitalized," — bend the 
body sidewise as far as possible, first to the right, then to 
the left; repeat eight or ten times (See illustration. No. 11). 
With the arms in the same position and keeping the feet 
firmly on the floor, twist the body as far as you can turn it 



TO S'llRlULATE DIGESTION. 



95 



from right to left and vice versa. This wringing exercise 
greatly stimulates the digestive organs, wears away fat, 
gives firmness to muscles, and expels stagnant juices. 

This exercise also has a most tonic influence upon the 
same organs, but is a little harder to execute: Lie flat on 
your back, either on the floor or on a cane-seated couch, — 
something that will not yield beneath you, — and, with arms 
at your side, raise yourself to a sitting posture without 
touching anything to assist you (See illustration, No. 14). 
The trunk of the body forms the fulcrum, and the effort 
specially stimulates the -intestines to perform their duty, 





No. II. 



No. 12. 



hence is valuable in all cases of constipation and for reduc- 
tion of flesh. 

Standing upon one foot, raise the opposite knee, and 
clasping it w^ith the hands draw it as high and close to the 
chest as possible (See illustration. No. 12); hft each leg thus 
five or six times consecutively, with vigor, and alternate 
the motion with both legs, repeating five times. 

Lie flat on your back, and, without bending the knees, 
lift the legs till the feet are straight up, and raise the arms 
vertically (See illustration. No. 13) ; do this with breath ex- 
haled, and inhale deeply as you lower them. Repeat five 
times, and follow with this: Stand erect, fold the forearms 



96 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

firmly across each other back of the head, keeping the poise 
perfectly ; take in a deep breath, rise high on the balls of the 
feet and walk lightly and rapidly while you can draw three 
long breaths, exhaUng slowly. The exercise to the ab- 
dominal muscles will be in proportion to the energy of the 
shoulder movement, and the arms must not weigh against 
the head or push it forward. 

In a sitting posture, with the torso held erect but not 
strained, abdomen drawn in, chest inflated, and fingers 
placed upon the shoulders, twist the body from the waist up 
as far as possible to right and to left without moving the 
hips. Repeat the same movement with the elbows on a line 
with the shoulders and fingers lapping at the back of the 
neck. 

All these abdominal movements are commended also to 
those engaged in sedentary occupations. They should be 
taken up gradually by those unused to exercise, beginning 
with three or four of the simplest, and increasing the num- 
ber and the repetitions as skill and ease are gained. Don't 
be frightened or discouraged if at first there is a little sore- 
ness in long disused muscles which lack elasticity and 
contractile power. It will soon disappear, and when the dor- 
mant muscles are roused to new life and activity you will be 
conscious of such ease, vigor, and litheness that you will 
not know your own body. A most important consideration 
in all exercises is to maintain the equilibrium of vital force; 
in order to upbuild, muscles must not be exhausted in the 
use ; there is a healthful point of fatigue which marks the 
limit. 

There will be no flat-chested women when common sense 
regulates the daily life of growing girls; but, fortunately, 
we have learned that there is help for the grown woman. 
All the chest and breathing exercises will help her, and the 
muscles of the drooping, relaxed, or undeveloped bust must 
receive special attention. Just as you can contract, move, 
and hold taut the abdominal muscles, by directing the 



EXERCISES TO EXPAND THE CHEST. 



97 



will-power to superintend the action, so you can expand 
and contract those of the breast. An exercise which helps 
to give this control is to move the shoulders back and forth 
with energy. The backward movement pulls the elbows in 
close to the waist in much the attitude of the Nathan Hale 
statue, in City Hall Park. Don't confound this movement 
with the inflated chest of deep breathing. They are quite 
distinct, as you will see by holding your breath part of the 
time while taking the shoulder exercise. 

Two other movements which strengthen the bust mus- 
cles, and the arms as well, are these: Extend the arms in 




No. 13. 



No. 14. 



front horizontally, palms facing, then throw them backward 
as far as possible, aiming to touch the hands back to back, 
with the arms held as high as possible. 

Raise the left arm above the head, palm forward, and 
swing it live times in as wide a circle as you can; devitalize 
the hand, and start the movement forwards. Execute the 
movement with right arm; then again with the left, re- 
versing the motion. Repeat both movements with each 
arm alternately twice; as, left arm, forward swing, five 
times; right arm, ditto; left arm, backward swing, five 
times; right arm, ditto; left arm, forward swing, five times ; 
etc. The use of light Indian clubs or wooden dumb-bells 



98 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

in this exercise will develop all the muscles involved (See 
illustration, No. 6); but it should also be taken with de- 
vitalized hand; that is, hanging limp from wrist, being 
thus one of the best exercises known for gaining control of 
the arm and hand in graceful gesture. Don't make the 
mistake of holding the hand bent. If it is perfectly free, in 
the backward swing of the arm it will be thrown out; and 
in the lower part of the circle it will hang limply down be- 
side the body. 

Always remember that in parting wnth feminine weak- 
ness, it is quite unnecessary to allow the charm of feminine 
delicacy to disappear also; and that in gaining the grace of 
freedom and ease of movement, which out-of-door exercise 
and games especially impart, it is necessary to guard against 
boldness and a certain masculine coarseness which utterly 
defeat our aim to increase woman's attractions. 

In the principles of bodily expression, rightly interpreted, 
of the great artist Delsarte, we find the correction and anti- 
dote for any disposition to err in this respect. In strict co- 
ordination with development exercises and the strength- 
ening of weak parts of the body, the attainment of flexibility 
is one of the first conditions to work for, and this is the 
first step in Delsarte principles. One of his maxims is: 
" Strength at the centre, freedom at the surface." And 
this freedom is acquired through learning to withdraw the 
will-power. The arm exercises just described illustrate this. 

That admirable exponent of Delsarte, Edmund Russell, 
says: ''We are all natural-born Delsartians; but from the 
moment our education begins — say at six years of age — Na- 
ture is slowly but surely stifled." If Delsarteism were bet- 
ter understood and more widely, the " rest-cure " sanato- 
riums would be empty, for neither men nor women would 
lose control of their nerves. The nerves are worn out more 
by needless tension than by the strain of actual use. Del- 
sarte philosophy teaches how to train the nerves, — how to 
rest; and how to move and act with the utmost economy 



THE VALUE OF DELSARTE EXERCISES. 99 

of force. The developing movements train to habits of 
grace, by correcting awkward motions and exposing their 
waste of force. 

The Delsarte relaxing — or '^ decomposing " — exercises 
are better than medicine for nervous, overworked people, 
showing how to prevent wasteful nerve-tension and con- 
serve vital energy. As they are essentially calming in char- 
acter they are valuable remedial agents for insomnia. The 
laws of expression which underlie all art furnish a key to 
character-study; and all the Delsarte work develops self- 
possession and, therefore, banishes self-consciousness. It 
will be noticed that all feats and exertions, all displays of 
muscular agility or strength are both avoided and dis- 
couraged, the aim being to reduce the body to a state of 
passivity, take out all the angles, jerks, and discords, and 
train it to move in harmony with Nature's laws. 

It is a gross misinterpretation of the system which rep- 
resents it as teaching a special and arbitrary code of ges- 
tures and mannerisms, as artificial as they are absurd. The 
object is to acquire perfect mastery over self, and to make 
the body a facile interpreter of the thoughts and emotions. 
By the equalizing exercises given to obtain this control, 
often over muscles that have never co-operated, harmony, 
rhythm, symmetry, and grace are taken on as a garment. 

Naturally, the work begins with relaxing movements to 
reduce the body to a condition of perfect freedom and flexi- 
bility and remove all tension. Pianists know what a limber 
wrist means, p^nd have, perhaps unknowingly, always prac- 
ticed devitalizing, or relaxing, the hand in octave and chord 
passages; similarly, if they have any skill in running scales 
in thirds, they have devitalized their fingers. The exercise 
consists in shaking the different parts of the body till every 
joint is loosened, the muscles gently put In action, and a 
tingling, magnetic feeling passes through the limbs. 

The order of practice is to begin with the fingers ; with- 
draw the vital force to the kunckles; make the fingers feel 



lOO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

as dead as possible, then shake them. The hand comes 
next; then the forearm; entire arm; head; torso; foot; 
lower leg; whole leg; eyelids; lower jaw. You shake the 
forearm from the elbow as if it were dead; then raise the 
arms above the head; withdraw vitality and let them drop 
like dead weights. They will swing from the shoulders like 
a pendulum. In the rotating abdominal movements already 
given the arms should be devitalized at the shoulders and 
swing lifeless. 

To decompose the head, drop it to the left; its own 
weight win carry it round in a half-circle, just as a child's 
drowsy head rolls around. Drop it again backwards, for- 
wards, and to the right (See illustration. No. 9). Then 
make it describe a circle around the entire neck very slowly. 
Repeat five times. Stand on a footstool for the leg move- 
ment; changing from one foot to the other, and by a slight 
motion of the entire body, swing the free leg. 

The relaxing exercises are followed by a series of sway- 
ing or floating movements to secure harmonic poise, the 
principle of which is that when the weight of the body is 
transferred from one leg to the other, the head inclines to 
the strong leg and, to maintain the poise, the torso from it; 
that is, toward the weak, or inactive, leg. This principle is 
exemplified in the well-known statues of the Apollo Belve- 
dere, Venus de Medici, and Artemis. All these exercises 
are practiced very slowly and require a good deal of time. 
" Delsarte discovered, he did not invent; and true Del- 
sarteans claim to have no patent on Nature, but to have 
been assisted in understanding Nature's laws by Delsarte's 
formulations." 

Psycho-physical culture may be considered an out- 
growth or crystallization of Delsartean principles. It is the 
perfect unison of harmonic gymnastics and dynamic breath- 
ing, and is based upon rhythmic motion and the spiral 
curve: as, this being the motion of all nature, the funda- 
mental principle of all life, it assists every natural motion 



PSYCHO-PHYSICAL CULTURE. lOI 

and generates vital force. The claim is made by its advo- 
cates that ordinary gymnastic training, though developing 
muscle, does not stimulate the real vitality of the organism. 
This, however, must be taken with a grain of salt. That it 
stimulates a higher vitality and comes nearer to its real 
source in soul-force, as it demands the active participation 
of the mind, there cannot be a question. 

The basic principles of the system, as explained by Mrs. 
Stebbins (" Dynamic Breathing and Harmonic Gymnas- 
tics "), are expressed in a trinity — Emotion, Concentra- 
tion, and Aspiration — representing the perfect being. The 
emotional is the soul-principle and corresponds to felt 
thought, the highest forms of which are love and charity. 
The concentrative expresses executive thought, implying 
work and energy and is physical; while the aspirational 
has to do with the higher emotions, and corresponds to 
sublimity and the ideal. These basic principles defined out- 
side the realms of metaphysics are moral, vital, and mental; 
or, again, emotional, physical, and intellectual. 

The first and most important factor in the exercises is 
dynamic breathing, — which I will explain later, — correlated 
to and strengthening the power of thought, — the mental 
principle. Second, gymnastic exercise with rhythmic har- 
mony in every motion; the claim being that the correlative 
action of mind, nerve, and muscle induced by this method 
produces the maximum diffusion of activity, energy, and 
equability of nutritive effects. The third factor, completing 
the trinity, is that of mental imagery, elevating through the 
creative power of thought the moral nature. These princi- 
ples and factors all interact one upon another, of course, all 
three being involved often in a single exercise. This 
analysis explains the underlying laws of the system. Psycho- 
physical culture '' insists on the beautiful in strength and 
the graceful action of every voluntary muscle ; because 
Nature, in her natural development, is first angular, then 
circular, and, finally, spiral; consequently, always beautiful.'^ 



I02 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

There is no reason why a woman who has household 
duties to perform should not turn them into healthful phys- 
ical exercise, instead of fatiguing work. The source of the 
usual pain and weariness attending them is that the body 
is not held in the pose which equalizes muscular action. If 
she would remember that the chest not the abdomen should 
be most prominent, and would keep it active with deep in- 
halations, and would loose the tension of unemployed mem- 
bers, there would be no waste of energy or nerve-force. 
Conservation of strength is something all women need to 
learn; and a wise hoarding that will enable them at need 
to spend lavishly, as in those emergencies which suddenly 
make -exhausting drafts on even the most favored. But, 
above all, they must cultivate a wise discrimination in rec- 
ognizing true need. So much valuable strength which 
would enable a woman to be s. joy to all around her is 
simply frittered away. 

It is quite possible, if the body is held in correct har- 
monious pose, to derive equal benefit from sweeping a room 
as from the same amount of gymnastic exercise. The only 
unfavorable condition is the dust, which should be allayed 
by some of the expert housekeeper's expedients; as wet 
tea-leaves, salt, or dampened corn-meal. The lifting and 
moving of furniture, if it be done w^ith the muscles of the 
arms and not of the waist, — as when stooping, with lowered 
chest, rounded shoulders, and protruding abdomen, — will 
develop the upper-arm muscles and chest quite as effect- 
ively as the same amount of exercise taken with Dr. Sar- 
gent's pulley-weights. With these, a middle-aged man has 
been known to increase his chest-girth two inches and five 
eighths in six weeks, exercising one hour daily. 

In sweeping (See illustrations, Nos. 15, 16, showing the 
wrong and the right way) the '' swaying " Delsarte exercise 
can be put to practical use; as, moving from left to right, 
advance left leg bearing weight on ball of foot, incline head 
towards it and torso slightly backward, which inclination 



DELSARTE PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO HOUSEWORK. I03 

hollows the back at the waist-lme, and raises the chest. As 
the right leg follows and bears the weight, the head inclines 
backward and torso forward, and there will be easy play 
of the ankles. Reverse the motion and sweep to the right. 
The strength used on the broom must come from the arms. 
Don't be afraid of high-reaching in seaching for cobwebs, 
dusting pictures, etc.; it is an excellent exercise for both 
slender and fleshy women. 

To give greater force to my caution with reference to 
habitual correct pose, hear what Dr. Sargent says on the 
subject: *' How^ important it is, therefore, that the simple 





No. 15. 



No. 16. 



matter of attitude or position at work should receive care- 
ful attention. A faulty position, while standing or sitting, 
not only cramps the vital organs, and interferes with the 
important functions of respiration, circulation, and diges- 
tion; but also weakens the muscles that are kept almost 
continually on the stretch during the working hours." 

Crossing the legs when sitting is a bad habit which from 
compressing the arteries and veins encourages rheumatism 
and paralysis. (Four months after this was written, an 
alarm was sounded through the press that the same habit 
caused appendicitis.) The seat should be so adjusted that 
there would be no temptation to indulge in this inelegant 



I04 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

posture, which fashion has lately winked at in a manner that 
would have scandalized our grandmothers. Foot-stools or 
cushions should be in convenient proximity to high chairs. 
Many women have a very careless and apparently uncon- 
scious manner of disposing of the feet most awkwardly, at 
times. If you will look about you in any large hotel dining- 
room or restaurant where throngs of pretty, handsomely 
gowned women are assembled, you will see here and there 
one foot, perhaps both, twined about the leg of a chair, or 
thrust back under it resting on the toes. Of course, you 
never commit any of these pctitcs gaucheries, but it will 
amuse you to discover how many of your sisters are guilty. 

To the women, and I know they are many, who will say 
they have no time for physical-culture exercises, I would 
answer: Neither have you time to be ill; and most diseases 
are caused not by necessary wear and tear of life but by 
want of fresh air and equalized exercise. Even ten minutes 
given daily, and there are few who cannot give that time, 
both night and morning, will return to you many-fold in 
energy and increased vitality. When, by systematic, earnest 
work, you find yourself in possession of a well-poised, 
graceful body, absolutely under your control, you will make 
the happy discovery that all the old, mysterious aches and 
pains that refused to yield to nostrums have fled Hke thieves 
in the night; and the reward for performing this duty to 
yourself is increased power to confer happiness upon all 
dear to you. 

You cannot do better than to commit to memory these 
maxims of Mr. Roberts, quoted in " How to Get Strong": 

" Don't always be guided by your feelings in the matter 
of exercise; for when one feels least like taking it, is the 
very time it is most needed. 

" Mountain-climbing, going up stairs, and running, will 
strengthen the heart and deepen the breathing. 

" Walking on tip-toes, morning and night, while dressing 
and undressing, uses the legs mightily. Parts grow by use. 



NATURE'S exercises: THE LAUGH AND THE YAWN. I05 

" Rheumatism is due to over-abundance of lactic acid in 
blood; when the skin acts badly its twinges are felt. Plain 
food, exercise, and tepid bathing is the necessary regimen. 

'' Lactic acid is eliminated only by the kidneys and skin, 
hence when the skin from neglect of exercise and bathing 
acts poorly, this acid gathers in body; result, rheumatism. 

*' Excessive use of muscle weakens brain; exclusive use 
of mind wastes muscle; in either case the oil of life works 
a part only of the body, which is wrong." 

In conclusion, I must draw attention to the therapeutic 
value of two of Nature's exercises, the laugh and the yawn. 
Carlyle says: "Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness; 
almost past calculation its power of endurance. A laugh 
is worth a hundred groans in any market." There is noth- 
ing that so penetrates the remotest fibre and hidden recess 
of the body as a hearty, stirring-up laugh; if it shakes the 
body all the better. It stimulates the circulation, and gives 
an onward impulse to sluggish veins. 

Yawning relieves nervousness and insomnia, and is a 
natural relaxing exercise. It is the body's plaint of over- 
tension and fatigue and need of repair. With a full stretch 
from finger-tips to toes, a wave of renewal, of vital energy 
is sent through every strained muscle and stagnant gland. 
Follov/ the stretch with deep breathing, and that with com- 
plete relaxation. Three or four repetitions, occupying no 
more than five minutes, will afford more rest than a half- 
hour nap as ordinarily indulged in, without attention to 
breathing, and relieving the strained muscles by exercise to 
restore their circulation. 

A habit of cold feet often affiicts those who lead seden- 
tary lives, and it is a predisposing cause of serious throat 
and lung troubles. It indicates a torpid circulation in the 
lower limbs, and it checks the healthy action of the skin 
over the entire body. Sufferers from this habit can never 
be really well till it is overcome. Artificial heat is but a tem- 
porary alleviant and does nothing to remove the cause. 



Io6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Exposure to severe cold must be avoided; never let the 
fingers become stinging cold by handling ice, or by hold- 
ing them long in ice-cold water. Ankle exercises taken at 
frequent intervals during the day will aid in stimulating the 
circulation: Point the toes down to the extremest limit, and 
move the feet up and down in this way a dozen times; then 
devitalize them at the ankle and shake them thoroughly. 
All the other exercises will, of course, assist in overcoming 
the predisposition, through the general improvement in cir- 
culation, respiration, and entire vital tone. The ankle ex- 
ercise will also warm the feet when in bed. 

The most generahy convenient time for taking physical 
exercises is at night when preparing for bed and in the 
morning before dressing. This obviates the necessity of 
having a special gynasium suit, or of taking the time to don 
it; and, of course, the body must be free from all con- 
stricting bands, in order to reap the fuh benefit from the ex- 
ercises. I shall not engage in a crusade against the corset, 
for it would be an idle waste of both breath and space. 
There is, however, no more efficacious means of retarding 
the circulation and injuring vital organs, lowering their 
tone so as to predispose them to disease — which condition 
encourages a red nose, bad complexion, and red hands — 
than constricting bands anywhere. When once women 
realize that only absolute ease and freedom of the body can 
secure that health, grace, and symmetry which all are am- 
bitious to possess or acquire, we shall see fewer distorted, 
deformed torsos. 



CHAPTER V. 

CORRECT BREATHING AND WALKING: THE CARE OF THE 

FEET. 

" Go forth under the open sky, and list 
To Nature's teachings." 

"The tempered light of the woods is like a perpetual morning, 
and is stimulating and heroic." 

"A full-breathing pair of lungs are a full measure of life-giving 
and life-supporting organs." 

It is one of the curious anomalies of human nature that 
so many people concede the truth of a theory, yet go on 
calmly .all the days of their earthly lives violating it hourly. 
We talk ghbly about '' the breath of life," and should ques- 
tion the sanity of one who proclaims life possible without it; 
yet though we acknowledge its necessity, nine tenths of hu- 
manity breathe as little air as if it were the costliest instead 
of the freest thing in life, and actually shun fresh air as if 
they thought it poison. 

Pure, fresh air is the source of all life and strength. The 
want of it vitiates the blood, in which condition every organ 
in the body may suffer. Half-filled lungs are weakened 
lungs, ofifering most favorable conditions for ttiberculosis; 
and the lowered vitality of the body, never freed from im- 
purity, encourages scrofula, typhus and other fevers, and 
every throat or lung trouble. The habit in which little 

107 



Io8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

children are often indulged of sleeping with their heads 
under the bed-clothing in a most pernicious one which has 
been known to cause scrofula in children previously in per- 
fect health. 

Theoretically, every one knows that to rebreathe the air 
just expelled is to swallow so much deadly poison; but, in 
practice, thousands defy the fact, and toy with the slow, in- 
sidious death as long as the minutest proportion of oxygen 
in the air makes it possible to breathe. 

The brain suffers first and most of all for the want of a 
full supply of fresh air; but even the morals suffer, because 
the soul is stifled and cannot control the vagrant impulses 
of a dull mind, which easily falls a victim to the first whis- 
perings of the tempter. All folly finds a ready field, a lis- 
tening ear to its allurements; the ability to distinguish be- 
tween right and wrong is dulled, an ill-governed temper 
results, and passion and laziness have their evil sway un- 
disputed. 

It is a grave error to consider breathing entirely an in- 
voluntary function, simply because the Creator made that 
wise provision for the performance of the imperative task 
during sleep and conditions of extreme preoccupation. It 
is a fundamental truth, known to all students of hygiene, 
that what has been recognized for centuries past as nor- 
mal breathing neither gives the lungs the necessary exercise 
to develop and strengthen them nor to maintain their in- 
tegrity, nor supplies the blood with sufficient oxygen to 
purify it. 

The remedy for the evil is in conscious breathing, exer- 
cising the lungs by slow, deep, and thorough movements; 
and every man, woman, and child should, both night and 
morning and at frequent intervals during the day, give a 
few minutes' attention to lung gymnastics. The exercise 
should be taken in the freshest air,^pure, uncontaminated 
out-door air, where possible. Have no fear of its being 
cold, for it is impossible to " take cold " while breathing 



REALIZE THAT BREATH IS LIFE. IO9 

deepty. The blood is too active to feel any chill. Inhale 
slowly, always through the nostrils, for provision is made 
there to arrest impurities which if carried to the lungs 
would irritate their delicate structure. Prolong the move- 
ment till the whole lungs are filled, the lower as well as the 
upper parts; then give less time to exhaling, and let every 
other exhalation be forcible and accompanied by an actively 
felt movement of the diaphragm, which will aid in emptying 
the stagnant cells in the lower parts of the lungs. 

Try to realize to the full that breath is life, and that the 
more air you breathe in the highest state of purity, the 
deeper your hold upon life will be and the more radiant 
your health. The lungs have their own muscular power, 
which in too many cases is but half-developed. This con- 
scious breathing will soon enlarge and strengthen the lungs, 
and the more frequently you can make the action conscious 
the better for your lungs and health. 

"These exercises are no modern discovery [I quote my- 
self: "Some Laws of Health"]. Thirteen hundred years 
before Christ the people of India practiced full, deep 
breathing at regular intervals, daily, using it as a healing 
remedy for disease; and it was no secret to the old Greek 
and Roman physicians, who also prescribed lung gymnas- 
tics as curative measures. A severe cold can be greatly 
relieved and quickly cured by conscious breathing; and if 
treated in the early stages, as soon as the first symptoms 
are felt, it can be thrown oflf in a half-hour's time. Many 
cases Oi headache, especially when accompanied by nausea 
and congestion, are quickly relieved; and phthisis when 
taken in the incipent stages can always be greatly alleviated, 
and is often cured by this simple means." 

Although the therapeutic and ethical value of deep, con- 
scious breathing was lost sight of by the Occidental peo- 
ples for long years, the Brahmins and Yogis of India have 
always understood it, and have developed its cult to a de- 
gree which we yet but partially understand. It is by 



no THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

means of a mysterious power of storing the breath, lay- 
ing up a reserve of oxygen and ether, that the Yogis are 
enabled to exhibit their seemingly miraculous feat of living 
during m_onrhs of interment. There are several methods of 
Yoga breathing, and among them the following was 
taught by a high-cast^ East Indian who came to this 
country during the Columbian Exposition: Close the left 
nostril and breathe through the right during eight seconds; 
close the right, and exale forcibly — during two seconds — 
through the left: inhale through the left during eight sec- 
onds; exale through right in two seconds. Thus the nos- 
trils are closed alternately, and the motion of the air through 
them is first exhalation, then inhalation. It is claimed that 
when practiced continually it produces the poetry of breath- 
ing. I do not commend it for habitual breathing, how- 
ever, for the exhalations are too short to be thorough. 

!Mrs. Stebbins' (" Dynamic Breathing ") method of prac- 
ticing rhythmic breathing is more logical and based upon 
psycho-physical principles. She advances the interesting 
hypothesis that with every breath we draw, besides the life- 
supporting oxygen, we receive from the air a cenain im- 
ponderable essence which science has never yet been able 
to analyze. She believes " it to be that which constitutes 
the basis of all life, force, or motion, and the medium for 
the transmission of all cosmic energy, viz.. the Ether.'' It 
therefore becomes of the utmost importance to us to be 
able to store as much of this '' life-essence '' as possible. 
This is the '" vril " of Bulwer-Lytton, and the '' odyllic 
force '" or psychic ether of others. Is it, perhaps, the basis 
of Prof. Rychnowski's new force, " Electroide," which is to 
displace electricity? 

Mrs. Stebbins believes that in a normal, non-active state 
the brain and lungs *' attract only a small quantity of the 
finer dynamic essences from the atmosphere. But under a 
strong desire and clear mental image the force of the im- 
agination is such as to electrify the brain and lungs and 



RHYTHMIC AND YOGA BREATHING. lit 

make them powerful magnets. ... In this state they at- 
tract an infinitely greater quantity of the life-principle from 
the air during respiration." Thus dynamic breathing means 
to dynamize the lungs and brain with the physical life quali- 
ties and the finer essences of the air. 

The natural development of this theory leads to rhythmic 
breathing, making the movements of inhalation and ex- 
halation the same and measuring their length by heart- 
beats, which, of course, differ with people. " A strong, nor- 
mal rhythmic respiration should be about four heart-beats 
during inspiration, and held for the space of two; then ex- 
haled during four, making ten heart-beats for one com- 
plete respiration." Breathe through the nostrils, of course, 
and mentally count four pulsations of the heart. Count 
two beats also while you hold the lungs empty. 

For deep rhythmic breathing, Mrs. Stebbins directs to 
inhale while you count seven beats; hold the breath dur- 
ing four beats; and exhale while you count sev^n, pausing 
during four. The mental idea to be held 'during both exer- 
cises is that of a " consciousness of indrawing Nature's vi- 
tality, wath the ability to retain it." As ability to draw 
deeper inspirations is gained they may be lengthened to ten 
or twelve beats, always maintaining the same relation be- 
tween the inhalation, holding, exhalation, and pause be- 
tween breaths. 

Mrs. Stebbins gives also an interesting exercise in Yoga 
breathing: 

"i. Lie relaxed in any easy position. 

"2. Breathe strongly with a vigorous vertical, surging 
motion, with the same rhythm as in Exercise i. [the 4-2, 
4-2], which stretches the whole trunk like an accordion, 
and let the mind concentrate itself as follows: (a) Imagine 
the ingoing and outgoing breath being drawn through the 
feet, as if the legs were hollow; (b) divert the same mental 
idea to the hands and arms; (c) to the knees; (d) to the el- 
bows; (e) now breathe through the knees and elbows to- 



112 the: woman beautiful. 

gether; (/) breathe through the hips; (g) breathe through 
the shoulders; (h) breathe through the hips and shoul- 
ders; (i) breathe through the abdominal and pelvic region; 
(;) breathe through the solar plexial region; (k) breathe 
through the upper chest; (/) complete this mental imagery 
with breathing through the head and the whole organism 
in one grand surging influx of dynamic life." 

It is claimed that this exercise " has a peculiar force when 
the imaginative faculty is so trained that it will quickly re- 
spond to the will. This will reacts upon the parts by strong 
magnetic action and invigorates to such an extent as to 
merit the name of galvanic respiration, so potent is mind 
over matter." 

Hardly the first word and certainly not the last upon the 
subject of exercise has been uttered till the all-round bene- 
fits of walking have been advocated. It is so closely asso- 
ciated with deep breathing, and, in fact, the two interact 
one upon another so closely, that it would be but superficial 
treatment of the subject to consider either exercise by itself. 
Therefore, it is not surprising that there is quite as much 
ignorance about the one as the other, and the army of peo- 
ple who don't know how to walk generally ignore the 
breath of life. 

It is another of the puzzles of life that an habitual act 
should, as a rule, be so imperfectly and incorrectly per- 
formed as that of walking. What wa}'ward impulse is it 
that leads man so astray? Like every other wrong and 
error it brings its punishment. A dawdling, dragging walk, 
an awkward, slouching gait, entail exhausting fatigue, be- 
cause the body is out of poise and every pound of its solid 
flesh and bone is carried as dead weight, and mostly thrown 
upon the poor spine. Next to the lungs and stomach Miere 
is probably no other part of the body so misused as the 
spine. 

On this subject Mrs. Russell says: "To walk gracefully 
is to walk w^ell and, other things being equal, to be able to 



EASY WALKING IS GRACEFUL WALKING. II3 

walk a great distance without exhaustion. Here, as usual 
in the construction of man, real use and real beauty go hand 
in hand. Utility and beauty are often opposed to each 
other in the world of things, particularly in the world of 
man-made things; but in all that appertains to the phy- 
siological machinery of the body the greatest beauty is the 
greatest utility. Any act of work, to be well done and with 
comparatively little fatigue, must employ a harmonious 
working together of all the organs. The movements of 
work, so done, will be graceful." 

" From harmony, from heavenly harmony, 
This universal frame began; 
From harmony to harmony 
Through all the compass of the notes it ran, 
The diapason closing full in man," 

When we rise to walk the whole body should be thrown 
into a state of gentle tension, putting every muscle which 
harmonious movement employs into vigorous, responsive 
action, and so perfectly balanced that every part does its 
work without perceptible strain. The abdominal muscles 
should hold that obtrusive part in comely restraint, — quite 
possible even with the portly, if they will but make the ef- 
fort; the shoulder, hip, and ankle joints should be upon a 
line; the chest held high, and head erect, but not tipped 
back. The correct position of the head may be tested by 
holding a book on the crown. In this position the body 
acquires its greatest ease, and every muscle performs a 
maximum of labor with a minimum of waste and conse- 
quent expenditure of force. 

Deep breathing is naturally an accompaniment to walk- 
ing, for even involuntarily the exercise impels more 
thorough respiration; but the more you wont yourself to 
conscious breathing the better, and a habit of dynamic 
breathing must increase the harmony of motion. If the 
lungs be properly inflated, this act alone gives to the body 



114 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

a buoyancy greatly increasing the pleasure and lessening 
the exertion of walking. Of course, a mincing or languid 
step must be avoided. Take a free and firm, but light, 
stride, balancing the upper part of the body alternately upon 
each hip — but without swaying it perceptibly, the roll of 
the hips affected by some is extremely vulgar — and giving 
the impetus forward with a slight spring from the ball of 
the foot. " Each tune the foot strikes the ground it is the 
true centre of gravity of the whole body, the moving leg 
swinging free without any muscular bearing upon the 
other." 

I have in my own experience proved so thoroughly what 
I affirmed several years ago, that I venture again to quote 
myself : " Naturally, at first, the mind will have to direct 
these motions ; but the body responds delightfully to right 
ways of doing things, and if the exercise of walking can be 
taken where there is much of interest to divert one, it will 
be found a great advantage ; for this ready and cheerful 
response of the entire body when its muscles are thus called 
into harmonious action imparts a sense of exhilaration 
which will make you feel more like a bird than anything 
else can till flying-machines are accomplished facts." 

There is no other exercise so thoroughly invigorating 
and restorative for over-strained nerves as walking. When 
there is no organic weakness which is aggravated by the 
exertion, it is the easiest thing in the world to walk right 
into health. '' Almost all fatigue and all ungracefulness can 
be traced to a violation of the laws of economy within which 
the body moves." The people who think they cannot walk, 
drag one foot after the other, slowly and languidly, and 
carry the body in a painfully strained position which abuses 
some muscles and leaves others dormant. This manner 
of walking would tire an athlete and, of course, utterly ex- 
hausts a delicate person. To derive any benefit from the 
exercise, the step must be light and elastic, swinging the 
body so easily from one leg to the other that its weight 




li ^ 







L..*^ 



fl 



,~>^m^ 



THE GOLDEN STAIKWAY — BURNE-JONES. 



HOW TO WALK WITH EASE. I15 

is not felt. The harmonious play of the muscles imparts a 
supple grace and litheness that is felt mentally as well as 
physically, and produces a healthy glow, showing that the 
sluggish blood is stirred to action in the most remote veins. 
This manner of walking strengthens the whole body, gives 
tone to the nerves, and produces just the. sort of healthful 
fatigue which encourages sound, restful sleep. 

A walk to be beautiful must be individual ; in fact, it 
cannot help being that, for the motion must be in harmony 
with your physique, and in nothing are characteristics more 
plainly discernible, even to the stranger. The step should 
be adjusted to the height, a happy mean between a mincing 
tread and a mannish stride. A long reach of the leg causes 
an awkward hip-movement. The slight impetus forward 
from the ball of the foot enables one to take a longer step 
with ease and grace than the leg could naturally span. It 
is a convenient expedient when walking with taller persons 
who do not readily adapt their step to yours ; and for coun- 
try tramps I have found it the step of all steps with which 
to get over the ground rapidly and absolutely without fa- 
tigue. The leg must be held straight but not stiff, there 
being a slight resilience in the knee; and the ball of the 
foot and the heel touch the ground almost together. The 
child with heelless shoes should step so that the ball of the 
foot would reach the ground first. The shoulders have a 
slight natural movement, in opposition to the feet, but 
churning and twisting them should be avoided. The arms 
may sway from the shoulder with the natural motion of the 
body, but should not be violently swung as if propelling 
it. 

There is no other exercise, not even bicycling, which does 
for us quite what walking can. Besides stimulating every 
part of the body, it relaxes, diverts, and charms the mind, 
encouraging that receptive condition in which it finds the 
truest growth and expansion. The nearer we can get to 
the heart of Nature, the more in touch are we with the 



Il6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

deepest sources of inspiration, of goodness, health, and 
beauty of soul and body. 

That inspired teacher of natural law, Emerson, says: 
** There are all degrees of natural influence, from these 
quarantine powers of Nature, up to her dearest and gravest 
ministrations to the imagination and the soul. . . . The en- 
chantments are medicinal, they sober and heal us. These 
are plain pleasures, kindly and native to us. We come to 
our own, and make friends with matter, which the ambi- 
tious chatter of the schools would persuade us to despise. 
We can never part with it; the mind loves its old home : 
as water to our thirst, so is the rock, the ground, to our 
eyes, and hands, and feet. It is firm water : it is cold flame: 
what health, what affinity ! . . . He who knows the most, 
he who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, 
the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at 
these enchantments, is the rich and royal man.'' 

To reap the fullest advantage from the exercise of walk- 
ing, physical comfort must be secured by convenient cloth- 
ing, and careful attention must be given to those faithful 
servants, our feet. A short gown is, of course, indispen- 
sable ; for the hands and arms must not be constrained by 
holding a train, and both refinement and hygiene forbid 
that it should drag. When women thoroughly understand 
how much the perfect freedom and grace of their move- 
ments — and, therefore, those indefinable qualities, beauty 
and fascination — depend upon the absolute ease and un- 
constrained action of every smallest part of the complex 
whole in these so wonderful bodies, it will cease to be neces- 
sary for physicians, hygienists, and physical culturists 
to wage a futile war against the wearing of corsets and de- 
forming shoes. 

" There's language in her eye, her cheek, her lip, — 
Nay, her foot speaks." 



THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE FOOT. I17 

Every restricting band arrests circulation, and by so much 
impairs the integrity of the physical entity. Tight gloves, 
even, may cause a red nose and irregular heart action. 
Of all discomforts, however, that mistaken vanity inflicts 
upon itself nothing equals in its disastrous effects, physical, 
mental, and moral, a tight, ill-shaped shoe. If properly 
shod, there is no reason why women should ever be re- 
minded that they have feet. They are no more liable to 
disease than are the hands, and if as well treated they would 
give us correspondingly as good service. 

'Yet in spite of this normal exemption from any weak- 
ness, such is the ill-treatment deliberately inflicted upon 
their feet by multitudes of women, that they precipitate upon 
themselves many forms of petty, nagging misery, and even 
have to endure excruciating pain. It is pain that unfits the 
sufferer as completely for all the duties and pleasures of 
life as if it were from a graver cause ; yet that very source, 
from its triviality and needlessness, shuts her off from the 
sympathy which in real sickness helps one to be patient. 

It is universally conceded that a pretty foot is one of 
woman's greatest attractions. In Europe, a tiny foot, if per- 
fect in shape, delicate in contour with highly arched instep, 
is considered an indication of aristocratic birth, a " hall- 
mark of race." So often are we told that a man looks first 
at a v/oman's face and then at her foot, that the assertion 
has almost the force of an aphorism. Yet there is a world 
of misunderstanding concerning the attributes of a really 
beautiful foot. Proportion is the first element of charm in 
a foot, — proportion to the height of the person, and in the 
component parts of the foot itself. The anatomical struc- 
ture of the foot is so marvellous, so ingeniously adapted for 
the duties required of it, that no mechanism of human de- 
vice has ever approached it except by imitation; but it has 
remained for civilized peoples to attempt its improvement 
by deforming and distorting it. 

The bones of the foot form a system of arches and piers 



Il8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

which are so combined as to bear the greatest weight with 
the least strain. The strongest pier is in the heel, and the 
extremest curve of the inner arch forms the instep. The 
forward, or anterior, pier is less curved than the posterior, 
and is composed of more bones, with many joints to secure 
elasticity and diminish the force of shocks transmitted to 
the arch, the summit of which is at the ankle. Any form 
of foot-dressing which throws undue pressure upon the for- 
ward pier, the ball of the foot, and keeps it there, flattens 
the arch and broadens the foot. In extreme forms of the 
high, pointed French heels — as the Louis Quinze — " the ex- 
cessive elevation of the heel displaces the centre of gravity, 
and transfers the weight of the body for the most part from 
the heel to the line of union of the instep with the toes, a 
series of joints with shallow sockets not formed to bear the 
brunt of the body-weight." 

It is a physical characteristic of the American woman to 
possess as handsome feet as any women in the world, not 
excepting the Spanish, Russian, or Polish; yet except 
among the Chinese, no women treat their feet so badly, in 
a mistaken effort to improve their beauty. Dr. Shoemaker 
has aptly pointed out that there is such a thing as a 
*' danger-line of beauty," and native-born American feet 
often verge upon this, and occasionally pass it. That is, 
they may be too short for the height of a person. A woman 
five feet six inches in height should have a foot nine and 
one third inches long. It should be slender and delicate, 
not thick nor broad ; and in the highest type the instep 
rises in a gracefully swelling arch. '' It should be axiomatic 
that nothing, except face and hands, can be so aristocratic 
as a well-dressed, shapely foot ; nothing so plebeian as an " 
ill-dressed, clumsy one ; and nothing more vulgar than any 
foot in a shoe manifestly too tight." 

Though ages past have shown us many curiosities of foot- 
wear, nothing more abnormal or more inimical to the 
beauty of the foot, and consequently the grace of a woman's 



EVILS OF DEFORMING FOOT-DRESSING. iicj 

walk, has ever had any vogue than the absurdly deforming 
and crucially uncomfortable pointed-toed shoe of the pres- 
ent decade. It should be said in their defense that women 
are not alone to blame for the folly. If the shoemakers 
did not make them they could not be worn ; and if there 
was anything else to be had in the shops, there is an army 
of women who would never wear them. They are women 
who cannot afford their private bootmaker, and often have 
to buy wdiere they can cheapest ; and even the wise woman 
who knows that the best in quality is the truest economy 
is equally restricted in style. 

It is idle to urge in defense of the pointed toe that the 
remedy is to buy longer shoes, and that you thereby gain 
for the foot a slender appearance and give the toes the 
necessary ease. When a shoe of this shape is long enough 
to secure this freedom, it is too large for the heel and the 
ball of the foot, — even with an unusually high instep ; and 
will rub blisters in the most surprisingly unexpected places. 
An ill-fitting shoe may be too large as ' well as too small; 
both extremes are a menace to the health and comfort of 
the foot. 

For that ease in walking which secures a graceful, lis- 
some, and springy step, the shoe or boot should hold the 
foot with gentle firmness, such as you give to it when you 
clasp it in your hand; with no pressure to constrict a single 
muscle or joint, but so moulded to its contours that it rubs 
nowhere and does not slip on the heel. The very narrow 
sole is as vicious in its tendencies as the pointed toe. It 
depraves the taste, encouraging a false standard of beauty, 
and at the same time impairs the usefulness of the foot. 
The sole must be of easy breadth and the heel broad and of 
only medium height. 

With such shoes the toes will be straight and shapely 
as Nature moulded them, and the naked foot will be as 
beautiful and almost as full of character as the hand. When 
it is properly clad, also, the foot has an expression all its 



120 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

own, and its attraction can be greatly enhanced by proper 
care. Frequent bathing has much to do with keeping it 
trim and shapely, and as much attention should be given 
to house foot-wear as to that worn in the street, which 
should never be retained in the house. It is quite as de- 
moralizing to the feet as to the character to indulge in go- 
ing slipshod about the house. Those inclined to flat-foot 
should not wear slippers without heels or mule-slippers, 
nor walk barefoot, even about the bedroom. 

A frequent change of shoes is better for both feet and 
shoes, and will help to keep both in good condition. After 
a long walk the feet should be given a warm bath with 
soap, and then be rubbed with the rum or cologne. If there 
is pain in the soles or over the instep, bathing with a weak 
solution of carbolic acid will allay it. Shoes or slippers 
with heels of a different height from those used in walking 
should be donned. When there is acute pain in the insteps 
it will strengthen and rest the feet after the bath to lie down, 
turning upon the face so as to stretch the feet out on a 
pillow, soles upward. 

Hot sea-salt baths are very restful and a sovereign 
remedy for feet incHned to swell from long standing; and 
great benefit is gained also from dissolving in the foot-bath 
water two teaspoonfuls of this powder : 

Alum I ounce 

Rock salt 2 ounces 

Borax 2 ounces 

After the bath, low sandal-slippers which can be bound 
about the ankles with ribbons will aid in restoring their 
symmetry, and a good counter-exercise for the muscles 
of the feet is to sit so the toes will just touch the floor, and 
then press upon them with considerable weight. 

Rubbing the soles of the feet with a cut lemon will 
freshen and ease them when fatigued, and in warm weather 



BATHS, LOTIONS, AND POWDERS FOR THE FEET. 121 

this powder applied after the bath will correct the tendency 
to profuse perspiration or to swelling: 

Lycopodium 3 drachms 

Alum I drachm 

Tannin 30 grains 

A strengthening bath for sensitive, delicate feet is pre- 
pared by boiling for twenty minutes in five quarts of water 
the following herbs : 

AROMATIC FOOT-BATH. 

Dried mint i ounce 

Dried sage i ounce 

Dried Angelica , 3 ounces 

Juniper berries J/^ pound 

Rosemary leaves i pound 

Use at moderate heat, and immerse the feet in it for 
twenty minutes before going to bed. Repeat for several 
successive nights. 

The more the feet are bathed and rubbed, the better their 
condition and the shapelier, and the less their tendency to 
enlarge. A careful pedicuring should follow the hot foot- 
bath semi-weekly, being just as important as manicuring. 
All callosities should be gently scraped with a file or pumice- 
stone; and if the treatment is followed up, and the affected 
parts are meantime protected by a chamois plaster having 
a hole in the centre, the feet will soon be relieved from these 
afflictions, and kept free from them. The nails do not need 
trimming so frequently as those of the fingers, as their 
growth is slower. They should be trimmed square across, 
kept at moderate length, and will improve under the same 
care given the finger-nails, for which directions will be 
found in the chapter relating to the hand. Be careful not 
to destroy the spongy substance below the nails, as this is 
the special guard to prevent their growing into the quick. 

The pressure of a tight shoe or the rubbing of an ill- 
fitting one tends to cause granulations, or false-nails, to 



122 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

grow under the corners, an affliction only less painful than 
ingrowing nails. These can sometimes be scraped away 
after soaking the feet in hot water, and their return can be 
prevented by inserting a bit of absorbent cotton under the 
nail. Obstinate cases can be relieved by treating with a 
mixture composed of one ounce of chloride of zinc and one 
drachm each of m.uriatic and nitric acids; mix thoroughly 
and apply with a camel's-hair brush. After a few days the 
granulations will come away. A drop of the lotion, applied 
daily, will also relieve the pain from an ingrowing nail, the 
cause of which is not always an ill-fitting shoe. Any slight 
wound, as paring the nail too closely, or arrested circula- 
tion, rendering the toe vulnerable to disease, may be the 
originating cause, as also habitual neglect. The very 
slightest wound made in paring the nails or treating a corn 
should be immediately bathed with an antiseptic lotion; as 
boracic acid, listerine, or glycerine and carbolic-acid solu- 
tion in the proportions of two of the former to one of the 
latter. Thrust a bit of absorbent cotton, wet with one of 
these lotions, under the ingrowing nail, and scrape or file 
it down the centre longitudinally till quite thin. Unless 
long neglect has caused a very aggravated trouble this 
treatment will promptly arrest it and effect a cure. In the 
beginning, painting with perchloride of iron will also arrest 
the trouble. 

Corns are merely extreme forms of callosities, and their 
so-called " roots " exist only in the minds of sufferers and 
of the charlatans w^ho pretend to "extract" them. Abnormal 
pressure hardens the scarf-skin into a horny layer, and 
Nature to protect herself from injury adds layer upon layer 
beneath it, spreading from a central point of contact, which, 
pressing upon the nerves of the true skin, causes keenest 
torture. Of course, removal of the pressure or irritation 
is the first step in treatment, and in their incipiency that 
recommended for callosities is all that is required, but an- 
cient corns require more radical measures. Preceding all 



TREATMENT AND CURE OF CORNS. I23 

applications the feet should be soaked for fifteen or twenty 
minutes in hot water, preferably made fragrant with 
tincture of benzoin or toilet vinegar and softened with 
borax or ammonia. After which, any part of the horny skin 
that is sufficiently softened should be removed. This can 
be done most easily by using the pointed tip of a nail-file, 
working it gently and carefully round the edges of the 
callous skin; then paint the corn with the following lotion, 
a highly commended French remedy: 

COLLODION CORN-LOTION. 

Salicylic acid i gramme 

Tincture of Cannabis Indica Yz gramme 

Alcohol 90% I gramme 

Ether 65% 2^ grammes 

Collodion elastique 5 grammes 

Apply, with a camel's-hair brush, every night for a fort- 
night, at the end of which time, after a half-hour's soak- 
ing in hot water it is said that the whole corn, including 
the central point of pressure — the so-called " root," can be 
picked out with the finger-nails. 

It is best to avoid all caustic remedies and to resort to 
them only in extreme cases. Other means, often success- 
ful, and especially for soft corns, which are partially blister 
and partially callus, are to bind on the affected parts at 
night either a section of juicy lemon or a clove of garlic, 
bruised and macerated in vinegar. Several applications will 
be necessary. If the corns are between the toes they should 
be isolated with absorbent cotton powdered with tannin or 
alum, and always it is advisable to protect any irritated 
spot which is exposed to the rubbing of a shoe with a ring- 
plaster of amadon or chamois skin. This will greatly facili- 
tate a cure. 

A simpler lotion for corns and bunions is this: 

Borate of sodium i drachm 

Fluid extract of Cannabis Indica i scruple 

Collodion i ounce 




124 '^^^ "vVO-MAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Apply nightly till the callus softens and can be scraped 
away. 

A inoycii-agc remedy which 'M. Andre-A'aldes pronounces 
infallible against corns, tending to restore health to sur- 
rounding parts and prevent their return, is this : Boil till 
tender the outer, strong skin of an onion, and apply it warm 
to the toe, binding it on with a linen bandage. If fresh 
applications can be put on night and morning, the corn 
will detach itself in two or three days. The scar will soon 
be obliterated — unless the irritating cause remains — and the 
corn will not return. 

For relief from blisters, corns, and callosities this emol- 
lient pomade is also commended: 

CORX POMADE. 

Pure mutton tallow, melted i>< ounces 

Mugwort, freshly gathered and bruised... 3 drachms 

Mix thoroughly and rub the whole foot with it, gently 
massaging it into the skin. 

CORX SOLVEXT. 

Salts of tartar (desiccated) i ounce 

Bole Armenia ^ ounce 

Resin ointment i ounce 

When ingredients are thoroughly mingled, spread upon 
a piece of kid the exact si::c of corn or bunion and apply to 
the painful excrescence. After several hours soak the feet 
in hot water and the corn will be soft enough to be picked 
out. This is quite caustic, and will burn the sensitive skin 
adjoining the callus if not used with extreme care, and is 
only offered as a dernier rcssort against extremely obsti- 
nate, indurated, and ancient offenders. 

That painful affliction, a bunion, which destroys the sym- 
metry of a foot, is caused by cruel pressure on the main 
joints of the great and little toes. If not promptly attended 
to it may cause permanent disfigurement and life-long suf- 
fering, for the synovial membrane, lining the joint, is liable 
to become diseased. Low heels are absolutelv essential, 



THE TREATMENT OF BUNIONS. 125 

and a shoe broad enough to prevent all pressure in order 
to facilitate a cure. 

BUNION LOTION. 

Glycerine 2 drachms ' 

Carbolic acid 2 drachms 

Tincture of iodine 2 drachms 

Paint the inflamed joint with this lotion several times 
daily. Clear tincture of iodine is also useful, applied with 
a camel's-hair brush ; and sometimes a poultice of slippery 
elm and flaxseed will afford relief. The joint should be 
protected from all pressure or rubbing by a large ring of 
piano-felt, or of felt and chamois combined. 

I would emphasize the fact that constant care and atten- 
tion will prevent corns or bunions from reaching an acute 
stage. Daily rubbing of any surfaces inclined to become 
callous with pumice-stone or a file, gently and lightly, will 
discourage it, and dipping the stone in a solution of car- 
bonate of potash will increase the efficacy .of this treatment. 

A predisposition to excessive perspiration in the feet 
causes great inconvenience. There are two^ forms of this 
disease depending upon affections more or less grave, some- 
times constitutional, sometimes only temporary. Hyperi- 
drosis is not characterized by a fetid odor, while bromi- 
drosis is so unpleasant that it really unfits the sufferer for 
association with his fellows. In both disorders astringent 
baths and lotions are indicated, and the bath-powder already 
given will relieve most cases. Aromatic vinegar and cam- 
phor are also efficacious, and can be rubbed directly on 
the feet or added to the bath-water. A lotion of extract 
of walnut leaves with alum and borax in it is said to be 
excellent to use after the bath, and in all cases the lotion 
and the bath, or both, are followed by some astringent and 
absorbent powder. 

Here is a curious old formula that is said to effect a cer- 
tain cure : '* Take twenty pounds of ley, made of the ashes 



126 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of the bay tree, three handfuls of bay-leaves, a handful of 
sweet-flag, with the same quantity of calamus aromaticus 
and dittany of Crete. Boil all these ingredients together 
for some time, then strain off the liquor, and add two quarts 
of port wine." Bathe the feet with it night and morning. 
Easier perhaps to prepare will be the following: 

LEGOUX' LOTION FOR MOIST FEET. 

Glycerine 2 ounces 

Perchloride of iron 6 ounces 

Essence of bergamot 20 drops 

Apply to the feet night and morning with a brush ; and 
afterwards dust them over with this powder : 

NO. I. ASTRINGENT POWDER. 

Burnt alum 5 grammes 

Salicylic acid . 2^ grammes 

Starch 15 grammes 

Violet talcum-powder...... 50 grammes 

Salicylic-acid soap can be used to advantage in the bath, 
and relief will be afforded by frequent change of both hose 
and shoes. With bromidrosis this is imperative, and the 
hose should be washed in a weak solution of boracic acid. 
It is sometimes a relief to powder the soles of the hose with 
one of the following powders : 

NO. 2. ASTRINGENT POWDER, 
Permanganate of potassium.. 13 grammes 

Subnitrate of bismuth 45 grammes 

Talcum powder. 60 grammes 

Salicylate of soda 2 grammes 

NO. 3. ASTRINGENT POWDER. 

Pulverized alum 5 grammes 

Naphtol 5 grammes 

Borax 10 grammes 

Starch 10 grammes 

Salicylic acid 3 grammes 

Violet talcum-powder 60 grammes 



FOR EXCESSIVE PERSPIRATION. 127 

LAVENDER FOOT-LOTION. 

Distilled water i pint 

Bichromate of potassium 35^ ounces 

Essence of lavender 3^ drachm 

Brush the feet over with this lotion after the bath or when 
changing the hose ; and be careful, in applying any of the 
lotions, that no space between the toes escapes. In ex- 
treme cases it may be necessary to place bits of absorbent 
cotton wet with a lotion between the toes. The following 
powder is so pleasant that it can be used not only against 
excessive or offensive perspiration, but also for simple com- 
fort and pleasure : 

ORRIS FOOT-POWDER. 

Phenic acid 10 grammes 

Alcohol 20 grammes 

Starch 200 grammes 

Florentine orris 150 grammes 

Essence of violet 2 grammes 

Dissolve the acid in the alcohol ; add the violet essence, 
then the starch and orris-root. This powder can be used to 
advantage on perspiring hands, and it is an agreeable glove- 
powder. 

An heroic remedy for chilblains — if not broken — is to put 
the feet in a basin of hot water; then place the basin over 
an alcohol lamp. Keep the feet in as long as it is possible 
to bear the increasing heat ; then, on withdrawing them, 
thrust them in ice-cold water. Wipe gently with a soft 
linen towel. It is said that two or three such baths will 
effect a cure. 

On the first indication of this troublesome form of suf- 
fering, as redness of the toes or heel and intense itching, 
it is well to rub the feet with warm spirits of rosemary, to 
which a little turpentine has been added. Afterwards some 



128 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

absorbent cotton wet with camphor or opodeldoc may be 
bound upon the affected parts. Camphorated vaseUne is 
also an excellent remedy. The baths already commended 
are of value, alum and borax being especially indicated. 
When there is the least predisposition to the trouble, ankle 
and foot exercises should be taken; exposing the feet to 
severe cold avoided; as also the habit of hugging the fire- 
side or register, and the use of artificial heat in the bed. 
The whole effort must be to restore and promote healthful 
circulation through the feet. In the chapter upon the hand 
will be found many valuable formulae for the relief of chil- 
blains, which can also be used upon the feet. Here is a 
simple remedy easily prepared : 

CHILBLAIN LOTION. 

Alum, powdered 3^ ounce 

Spirits of camphor i drachm 

Cucumber jiiice 2 ounces 

Dissolve the alum in the camphor and add the juice ex- 
pressed from fresh cucumbers. Pour a little into a saucer 
when using, as wetting a bit of linen or the fingers from 
the mouth of the bottle will quickly spoil its contents. This 
is a precaution which should be observed with all lotions 
which are not strongly alcoholic, or whose integrity is not 
preserved by antiseptic ingredients. 

For extreme inflammation, threatening to crack, use the 
following: 

CHILBLAIN OINTMENT. 

Powdered galls i ounce 

Resin ointment 3 ounces 

The powder is beaten into the ointment till perfectly in- 
corporated. Rub the affected parts with it and wrap the 
feet in linen bandages. 

For the natural perspiration of warm weather this pow- 
der is an agreeable absorbent and cooling agent after the 
bath: 



PREVENTION AND CURE OF CHILBLAINS. I29 

POWDER FOR PERSPIRING FEET. 

Powdered alum i ounce 

Powdered orris-root 2 ounces 

Powdered rice 5 ounces 

One more soothing and healing unguent, a French 
remedy, is this: 

MAYET'S CHILBLAIN POMADE. 

Burnt alum 5 grammes 

Iodide of potassium 2 grammes 

Laudanum 2 grammes 

Rose pomade (" cold-cream " 

of the pharmacy) 5 grammes 

Fresh lard 3 grammes 

Mix in a bain marie, at gentle heat, adding the alum to 
the potassium, then stirring both into the lard; then add 
the laudanum, and lastly the rose pomade. 

A flat foot spoils all beauty of the foot and walk, and in 
extreme cases is almost as bad as acknowledged lameness. 
Excessive standing may produce flat-foot, and will increase 
the trouble when it already exists. Strong-soled shoes with 
a stifif spring in the instep should be worn to counteract it, 
and foot exercises will strengthen the muscles of the arch 
and its supports. Walk about the room on tiptoe; then 
slowly rise upon the toes, keeping the knees stiff; fall slowly 
to the heel, and repeat ten or a dozen times. Lie down 
on the floor stretched at full length, with hands lapped un- 
der the neck, and stretch the toes with utmost tension from 
the ankle so that you will feel even the lower-leg muscles 
pull. This can be advantageously alternated with the ab- 
dominal and leg movements, in lying posture, previously 
described. 

Rubbing the legs with olive or almond oil, especially the 
back parts of the thighs, the knees, and the calves, will 
favor suppleness of movement and prevent lameness or 
stiffness after a long tramp or mountain-climbing, or the 



130 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

more violent exertion of out-of-door games. When play- 
ing golf or tennis all the joints may be rubbed with oil to 
great advantage. The following unguent has been for years 
employed by the famous European danseuses to promote 
that grace, litheness, and flexibility which is their charm: 

CREOLE OIL. 

Rose-water 2 ounces 

Portugal extract. 2 ounces 

White brandy J^ pint 

Mutton tallow 8 ounces 

Olive-oil 6 ounces 

Virgin wax 3 ounces 

Ambergris i grain 

Mix the oil, wax, and tallow in a bain marie; add the 
rose-water and extract to the brandy, shake well, then pour 
in a fine stream into the water-bath, stirring as you pour; 
add the ambergris last of all. Keep in small jars, closely 
shut from the air. 

Remember that " Any real increase of fitness to an end, 
in any fabric or organism, is an increase of beauty." Every 
exercise upon the feet improves their condition and 
promotes their symmetry and beauty. Given only the 
preparation of proper dressing for free and natural motion, 
walking, running, and dancing, and all games which en- 
courage lithe and springy steps, increase the real beauty of 
the foot, and at the same time develop and round out the 
muscles of the calf. It is want of use and lack of proper 
care that incline feet and ankles to grow bulky with flesh, 
and, from stagnant circulation, to swell. 

The more exercise can be taken in the open air the better 
for both mind and body; for not only is the air purer, in- 
suring more thorough oxygenation of the lungs, but the 
inspirations thus drawn develop the full magic of the two- 
fold meaning of that deeply significant word, lifting body 
and mind both upon a higher plane. 



FITNESS TO AN END IS INCREASE OF BEAUTY. 131 

Nature does for us what nothing else can, and gives to 
us some of the rarest moments in our lives. In shutting 
out her influence we are closing the doors in our prison 
walls. Out under her vast sapphire dome the chains of this 
world drop away. '' Labor and tears, sin, pairi, and death 
have passed away. To exist is to bless; life is happiness. 
In this sublime pause of things all dissonances have disap- 
peared. It is as though creation were but one vast sym- 
phony, glorifying the God of goodness with an inexhaus- 
tible wealth of praise and harmony. We question no longer 
whether it is so or not. We have ourselves become notes in 
the great concert; and the soul breaks the silence of ecstasy 
only to vibrate in unison with the eternal joy." 



CHAPTER VL 

THE CARE OF THE COMPLEXION. 

" 'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white 
Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on." 

" Her face is like the milky way i' the sky, 
A meeting of gentle lights without a name." 

" We can fix our eyes on perfection, and make almost everything 
speed towards it." 

There is no single beauty which possesses a stronger 
power of attraction than a clear complexion of delicate tint 
and texture. It is the natural externalization of inward 
health and physical purity, and is so great a charm that it 
quite overcomes any minor irregularities of feature. A 
vesture of health-glowing, luminous flesh is to the beauty 
of the human body what Carrara marble and alabaster are 
to the statue : it conveys the same forceful impression of be- 
ing Nature's expression of absolute purity in structure and 
compound. 

*^ Perhaps there is no more fascinating quality than the 
color of human beings. There is no texture under heaven 
so transcendently exquisite as healthy human flesh, with its 
delicate, transparent covering, revealing the ruddy glow be- 
neath, like suffused rose-tints in apple-blOssoms. This per- 
fect tissue is capable of revealing in the face every emotion, 
from the ashen pallor of fear to the rosy flush of delight. 
This inexpressibly charming suffusion, a brilliant com- 
plexion, is finer than faultless features alone." 

132 



THE FACE-SKIN A PHYSICAL BAROMETER. I33 

This beauty, coveted by all women, and the object often 
of life-long, misdirected effort, is not the reward of indo- 
lence, inactivity, or an indoor life; of nervous excitement 
or unhealthful emotions; of novel-reading mornings in a 
close room; of over-feeding or under-feeding; of late hours 
or other dissipations; of any excess, mental, moral, or 
physical. As w^ell expect the rotten peach to deceive you 
by the tempting bloom of its skin. It is the reward of 
hygienic living only: of a well-nourished body, whose every 
organ is maintained in a state of healthful activity by a wise 
adjustment of income to outgo; never strained to the dan- 
ger point of over-exhaustion; never deprived of needful 
sleep; never exposed to that most insidious of all evils, the 
stagnating poison of impure air. 

There is as great a difference between such a healthful 
skin, glowing and flushing with life and emotion, and a 
" make-up " complexion, its sallowness and blemishes 
masked with cosmetics, as there is between a rare Oriental 
pearl and a cone of chalk! '' Artificial means are as ghastly 
a substitute for the burnished glow of health as lacquer is 
for genuine gold." 

If women would observe the condition of their skin more 
closely, they would notice that it always displays a marked 
sympathy with their physical state; and, therefore, every 
violation of Nature's laws is indicated in the skin as indis- 
putably as the state of the weather is by the barometer. 
Any internal derangement affects its hue and texture; any 
irritation, especially of a nervous or emotional nature, dis- 
turbs the whole circulation, and affects most unfavorably 
the capillary circulation of the face-skin. Continued sub- 
jection to morbid emotions, excited by w^hatsoever cause, is 
inimical to beauty: a too-vivid imagination, the reading of 
unhealthful books, anything that encourages or permits un- 
natural flushing and excitement, — all these things may 
cause pimples, a red, inflamed nose, and enlarged pores; 
proving that none can play with fire without being burned. 



134 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The reason is obvious: to secure to the face that mar- 
vellous mpbility which makes the wondrous play of emo- 
tions over it the most subtle of fascinations, its whole 
structure is a microscopic network of nerves, veins, and 
glands of exquisite delicacy; and morbid excitement creates 
morbid conditions, obstructing the capillary circulation and 
enlarging the sebaceous glands. Therefore, serenity of 
mind, shutting out all opportunity for hasty temper, or 
morbid, ignoble thoughts, is as absolute a condition for 
loveliness as obedience to acknowledged hygienic laws. 

Such is the sensitiveness of the whole human structure, 
that, were a girl or woman the perfect embodiment of 
Titian's Venus, she could not retain such perfection of form 
and coloring without attention to the sanitary laws of her 
being. She will quickly destroy her beauty ff she heedlessly 
violates these and allows weak self-indulgence to order her 
daily life. 

Intelligent care can make the skin so transcendently ex- 
quisite that no comparison describes it. It is the error of 
to-day, as the blunder of past ages, to attempt to remedy 
imperfections of the facial skin by external means, without 
seeking to discover the cause of the blemish. The medical 
fraternity are largely to blame for this attitude of the non- 
professional mind, because they have so generally refused 
to give their serious attention to "only a skin disease;" 
failing entirely to recognize that, in manifold cases, the 
" skin disease " could have guided them like a pointing 
index-iinger to the baffling internal disorder. While, logi- 
cally, it should be impossible to consider the skin apart from 
the body, which it covers and with which it is organically 
so closely joined; yet, were the health of the two, instead of 
being so intimately connected, entirely dissociated, there is 
no part of the human body which should receive more 
thorough study and scientific attention; for upon nothing 
else does woman's appearance, and, consequently, her hap- 
piness, more closely depend. 



PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR A FINE CO^.iPLEXION. 135 

If a young girl be suffering from a skin disease, don't 
be put off by the physician's assurance that she will out- 
grow it; but give her as serious and skillful attention as 
you would if she had tuberculosis or typhoid fever. In fact, 
she might better have typhoid fever, as it is a most effectual 
purifier of the system, and not a whit more dangerous than, 
hundreds of the so-called cosmetics; to which women re- 
sort in the vain hope of finding, in these deadly poisons, 
either a cure or a mask for the impurities of their com- 
plexions. 

No least measure of real, lasting beauty can be secured 
for the skin short of its healthfulness; and this condition, 
far from being secured by means of face-powders, balms, 
and liquid paints, is seriously menaced, because all the deli- 
cate pores are being hermetically sealed, shutting in the im- 
purities which it is their office to expel. It is simply absurd 
to look upon the skin as merely an enveloping and pro- 
tective integument for more important internal organs. It 
yields to none in importance, for any disorder in its so deli- 
cate structure reacts up'bn the whole body, lowering its 
tone, and inducing a long train of more or less grave 
troubles. 

Never forget that the waste matter of the body is poi- 
sonous if retained in the system ; and that the unflagging 
performance of their appointed duty by the bowels, kidneys, 
skin, and lungs, must be zealously encouraged by every 
natural means, — by so regulating diet, drink, baths, and 
breathing that Nature will be unhampered. Very plain 
speaking, even insistent reiteration and emphasis, are 
needed on this subject; because there is none about which 
a great majority of women display greater ignorance, and 
no pernicious habit more common among them, — often even 
encouraged because " so convenient, you know," — than 
constipation. 

Resort to severe cathartics affords only temporary relief, 
and makes a bad matter worse, the irritated intestines re- 



136 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

lapsing into greater torpidity than ever. All the medicines 
in the pharmacopceia will not avail to effect a cure of con- 
stipation; it must be overcome by a radical reform from 
the habits and the diet which produced the condition. Al- 
most all of the common forms of skin disease and facial 
blemishes are found to be accompanied by this unwhole- 
some state of choses internes. 

The skin is a thin but strong and elastic substance, di- 
vided into two layers (See illustration of structure of the 
skin). The surface skin, epidermis, or eutiele, is a cellular 
structure, devoid of nerves or blood-vessels, very thin, dry, 
and dense, whose office it is to protect the acutely sensi- 
tive true skin, the derma, or corium, lying beneath it. The 
epidermis is continually being renewed by growth of cells 
in the rete viucosum, its underside, which adjoins the true 
skin; and, as these cells approach the surface, they flatten 
into tiny scales, which are constantly, shed, — invisibly, when 
the skin is in a healthy, normal state; but when blistered by 
sun or wind peeling in flakes. 

The derma is fibro-cellular, composed of minute inter- 
lacing bundles of fine threads, in whose meshes are packed, 
with divine skill and art, cells, nerves, blood- and lymph- 
vessels, and sudoriparous and sebaceous glands. Where it 
joins the pigment-layer of the epidermis, it is raised up in 
tiny points, called papillae, in which the nerves of touch 
end. These projections can be most readily observed in 
the palm of the hand. " Deeper down, at the bottom of 
the true skin, we meet the collection of oil-containing cells, 
which in the mass constitute what we know as fat, and 
serve, amongst other purposes, as stored-up nutriment and 
a protective padding, both against external hurt and cold." 

Every particle of the skin is also studded with minute 
pouches, lined with delicate involutions of the epidermis, 
which project down into it, like a glove-finger turned in- 
wards. These are the pores of the skin, and are of two 
kinds ; in one class they are about a quarter of an inch long. 



THE STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN. 



37 



and terminate in a coil of their own tubing; these filter off 
from the blood the perspiration, and are called the sudorip- 
arous glands. It has been calculated that on the average 
there are 2800 sweat glands to every square inch of the 
body, equivalent to twenty-eight miles of sewage-tubing for 




Vertical section of the skin, magnified ; a, scarf-skin ; h, 
pigment-cells ; r, papillae ; d, true skin ; e, /, fat cells ; g, sweat- 
glands; //, outlets of sweat-glands ; i, their openings on the sur- 
face of the skin ; k, hair-follicle ; /, hairs projecting from the 
skin ; ;«, hair-papilla ; «, hair-bulb ; 0, root of hair; /, openings 
of oil-glands. 

an averaged-sized man. The other pores contain the hair- 
follicles, and the sebaceous glands open into them. These 
glands secrete from the blood oily matter which lubricates 
the superficial cells of the epidermis, preventing their too- 
rapid drying, and keeping the surface supple. They also 
assist in maintaining the temperature of the body, delaying 



138 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

evaporation; and protect it against the absorption of in- 
jurious substances. 

When the blood-vessels reach the skin, they are minute 
capillaries, invisible to the naked eye, and are the connect- 
ing link between the arteries and the veins. They are so 
numerous that it is impossible " to direct the point of the 
finest needle into any spot without puncturing a vessel and 
drawing blood." Upon their healthful action and unim- 
peded circulation depend the beautiful flesh tints of the 
body. The lymphatics of the skin are tiny tubes that carry 
away the lymph into the interior. 

" These two kinds of vessels act after the fashion of irri- 
gating and drainage works. The fluid part of the blood, 
as it circulates, soaks through the walls of the capillaries, 
and bathes every cell and fibre, just as the intervening land 
between the streams is soaked in a water-meadow. A great 
part of this nourishment is taken up by the elements of the 
skin, and used for producing new cells, and in the wear and 
tear of the work of the body; but the used-up or efifete ma- 
terial is exchanged back into the blood to be got rid of. 
The excess not made use of is drained off principally by the 
lymphatics to be worked up and used again, whilst the 
waste matters are filtered off " by the glands of the skin and 
the other organs of elimination. 

The nerves, in a marvellous network surrounding and 
interlacing all these glands and vessels, direct the accurate 
and healthful performance of all these operations, selecting 
the nourishment, expelling the waste, and encouraging or 
delaying the growth of tissues. Therefore, upon their abso- 
lute integrity all depends. There is so intimate a sympathy 
between all the organs of the body through the vast sensi- 
tory system of nerves that disorder of one organ leads to 
mischief elsewhere. That organ which is weakest will be 
most seriously afifected sympathetically, being unable to do 
extra work; which, immediately one organ is thrown out 
of commission, all the others endeavor to assume. 



THE EFFECT OF DISORDERED NERVES AND LIVER. 139 

The liver performs a most complicated, highly organized 
function, — chemical processes entrusted to it alone; and 
when it is disabled through having too much work thrown 
upon it, as in gormandizing, or when deprived of the me- 
chanical action required to stimulate the flow of its juices 
— as in a sedentary life — it is not ordinary waste matters 
which are thrown into the blood, but actually foreign prod- 
ucts which no organ knows what to do with. This con- 
dition gives rise to a host of evils, affecting most injuriously 
the skin, whose functions are so seriously disturbed as to 
excite various inflammations, — itching, pimples, and jaun- 
dice. It would be worse than useless to attempt palliative 
measures to relieve the visible evil, without restoring the 
internal organ to healthful action; and the concealing them 
under a mask of paint-like lotions, which increases the 
obstruction of the pores, may produce very grave kidney 
troubles. 

Remember, that although the surface of the face is com- 
paratively small, yet, partly because of itS' freer exposure to 
the air, and partly because of its being the seat of vivid 
emotions, the face-skin is more active than the skin else- 
where, so that any obstruction of its normal function is 
keenly felt. Its sympathy with every organ is acute, as 
evidenced by the unpleasant flushing of the face sometimes 
after eating, and the sudden burning and throbbing of the 
nose after drinking a cup of hot tea. 

For its perfect health, the skin needs warmth, sunshine, 
and air; and such a measure of external cleanliness and 
purity as shall favor its elimination of wastes. A sudden 
chill acts as a blight upon a delicate skin, and in prolonged 
exposure to cold, all its operations are checked; the waste 
matters with which the glands are charged may cause a 
rash or something worse, and are partly thrown back into 
the system and incite fever. Profuse sweating is an im- 
portant factor in the perfection of the skin; and when cli- 
matic influences or habits of life are unfavorable to it, those 



140 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

exercises which promote it, as brisk walks and mountain- 
cUmbing, should be taken, as well as Turkish baths. 

When you follow the rules which are necessary to pro- 
duce a lovely complexion, you at the same time build up 
the perfect physical creature; which enhances your useful- 
ness and your joy, and throws the world wide open to you. 
For, with radiant health, comes the courage to do and to 
dare and to accomplish all things. Success is yours. 

It would be but repetition here to attempt to give a com- 
plexion diet, for the fundamental laws governing this sub- 
ject have been given in a preceding chapter. Therefore, I 
will add only a word concerning the value of oranges, — a 
*' skin-food " far transcending any wax-and-spermaceti 
compound. A diet of fresh, rare beef and oranges, with 
coarse grains in small quantity, has been known to work a 
positive transformation in an unsightly skin in a very short 
time. Old French beauty-books make much of the won- 
drously retained beauty of the Marquise de Crequy, who 
at the age of ninety-eight possessed " an apple-blossom 
complexion, an abundance of snow-white silky hair, and all 
her teeth unimpaired." Which marvel was attributed to 
the fact that, for the last forty years of her life, oranges 
formed the principal part of her food. She is credited with 
eating three dozen per day, but the story has perhaps grown 
with the generations that have passed since the dear lady's 
time. 

Be that as it may, the orange, sweet and ripe, possesses 
extraordinary virtues, especially in its action upon the liver; 
and Eastern occultists have long attributed to it most mys- 
terious qualities, developed in the chemical action of the 
liver, which exert a most beneficent influence upon the 
whole system. 

Because of its constant exposure to the air, and often 
wind, the skin of the face requires the most careful treat- 
ment, there being certain external evils from these sources 
which constantly threaten the purity of the most healthy 



HYGIENIC CARE OF THE FACE-SKIN. 14! 

skin. It is impossible for any woman to make for herself 
one rule of treatment for her complexion that sufTfices for 
all occasions. It is necessary to formulate a general rule 
based upon the experience of what agrees with her special 
skin; and then modify and change it according to weather, 
exposure, occupation, and health. 

Cleanliness is of course a first condition, but the di- 
versity of methods for obtaining this is bewildering, and 
usually experiment alone can determine which of several 
is best adapted to individual peculiarities. The two ex- 
tremes, however, of sozzling the face a half-dozen times, 
daily, with cold water, and of scrupulously protecting it 
from any water whatever, are almost equally harmful to any 
skin. I gladly embrace this opportunity to deny the absurd 
story concerning Mme. Patti's treatment of her marvellous 
complexion. That she never bathes her face with water is 
a pure bit of fiction. She always washes it in the morning 
in soft warm water and uses pure soap. If exposed to dust 
or dirt from driving or travel during the day, she removes 
it with some emollient face-cream. She never uses toilet 
vinegars, perfumes, or alcoholic lotions on her face-skin, 
believing that their tendency is to dry and shrivel the skin, 
robbing it of its natural oil, and hence favoring wrinkles; 
and she habitually feeds the skin with oils and creams. This 
treatment would not agree with an oily skin, a condition 
that indicates abnormal activity of the sebaceous glands, 
and which, in consequence, does need astringent lotions. 

The treatment of the face-skin which I decided some time 
ago to be most logical and hygienic, and have proved by 
continued experience to be extremely beneficial, is this : 
Bathe it twice every day, night and morning, in soft, warm 
or hot water, — I prefer it hot, and use it summer and winter 
alike, with decided benefit, — using soap or its equivalent 
only at night. The face is more exposed to dirt during the 
day, and it is of the utmost importance that the coating of 
impurities should not be left to obstruct the pores during 



142 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

sleep, when the exhalations through them need to be per- 
fect. Moreover, the skin should not be exposed imme- 
diately to wind or sudden change of temperature — as the 
open air in winter — after this cleansing bath, so night is the 
most convenient time. 

Soap is a valuable tonic for the skin, and its moderate 
use is beneficial. It should, of course, be thoroughly rinsed 
from the skin; and a dainty French precaution is to use two 
face-cloths at a time, putting the soapy one aside, so the 
perfumed water shall remain clear and pure, and rinsing 
the face with a fresh one. Fastidious care must be given 
these cloths, and once or twice a week they should be rinsed 
in an antiseptic solution. The recommendation so often 
given to rinse in cold water, I consider only less pernicious 
than to expose the face immediately to air of the same tem- 
perature. Instead of the stimulating reaction claimed for it, 
irritation is often the result. The French complexion-spe- 
cialists oppose the strongest arguments against the practice, 
and many of them I have proved to be well founded. 

Never lose sight of the fact that the skin of the face is 
more delicate than that of any other part of the body; that 
abrupt changes of temperature are more irritating than 
tonic to it; and that cold — always injurious to a woman — 
affects most unfavorably the circulation of the face-skin; 
in extreme cases even obstructing and rupturing its capil- 
lary arteries; and it tends to thicken and harden it and 
make it coarse and rough. The whole aim of the treatment 
of the complexion should be to avoid irritation. The kind 
of stimulation and reaction which cold water gives is over- 
supplied, usually, by emotion. 

A dozen drops of tincture of benzoin in the basin of water 
has a tonic and whitening effect upon the skin, is aromatic 
and pleasant, and also softens the water ; in lieu of it, a 
sprinkle of any toilet-water adds to the comfort and benefit 
of the bath. The best material for wash-cloths is the coarse, 
natural raw-silk, but it is not always easy to find. Whatever 



HOT WATER OR COLD ; WHICH ? I43 

is used should be of medium quality, neither fine nor harsh. 
For rough, coarse skins, especially with enlarged pores, the 
friction of a camel's-hair complexion-brush is valuable. 
Avoid sponges: their absorbent and usually damp condi- 
tion furnishes a perfect hot-bed for microbes. 

Most strenuous are the arguments advanced against the 
use of soap, claiming that it robs the skin of its natural oil. 
Of course, caustic and impure soaps are injurious, but no 
woman who has any respect for her complexion uses such. 
These people forget that the function of the sebaceous 
glands is continually to provide this oil, and if that which 
is exuded upon the surface is left to dry and clog the pores, 
the ducts are stopped up and the function arrested. Cold 
water has no af^nity for dirt and oil, even with the aid of 
soap, and tends to contract all the ducts and glands, making 
it difficult for them to yield their contents. Most of the 
soil which such a bath removes is found deposited on the 
wiping-towel. It is the removal of the old oil of the skin 
and its renewal that are necessary for its health and beauty, 
and the warm, saponaceous bath is the only thoroughly 
efficacious means of insuring this. 

All the rubbing of the face in bathing and drying should 
be upward. It is of great advantage to employ the rotary 
massage movements — as given for rubbing in cold cream 
— wherever they are applicable. Instead of soap, some of 
the fragrant saponaceous powders, as almond meal, can be 
used; and often good results are obtained by changing 
about from one to the other. Cautions about the choice 
of soap, together with formulae for preparing some very 
choice ones, will be found in the chapter upon the care of 
the hands, as also some formulae for saponaceous powders 
and emollient pastes; and I here give a few others which 
have been compounded by foreign pharmacists, and for 
which great cosmetic virtue is claimed. Pistachio meal is, 
perhaps, no more efficacious than almond, and it is more 
expensive ; but it has been highly extolled in Paris. 



144 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

HAXOVER COSMETIC POWDER. 

Sweet almonds, blanched i8 ounces 

Dried beans (ripe) i8 ounces 

Orris-root 8 ounces 

White Castile soap 6 ounces 

Spermaceti i]^ ounces 

Dried carbonate of soda i ounce 

Oil of bergamot 6 drachms 

Oil of lavender 6 drachms 

Oil of lemon 6 drachms 

Grind or beat all the dry ingredients to a fine powder; 
mix thoroughly, then beat in the oils till they are evenly 
absorbed. Keep in close jars, excluding light and air. This 
is very cleansing, and whitens and softens the skin. 

AMYGDALIXE. 

Best almond meal i pound 

Powdered orris-root ^ pound 

White Castile soap (powdered) ^ pound 

Oil of bergamot 2 drachms 

Oil of bitter almonds 15 drops 

Extract of musk. i drachm 

Mix thoroughly, sift, and keep in porcelain jars, in a dry 
place. 

PISTACHIO MEAL. 

Pistachio nuts 2 pounds 

Orris-root (powdered) 2 pounds 

Oil of lemon 7 drachms 

Oil of orange-peel 4 drachms 

Oil of neroli 1^4 drachms 

Blanch the nuts by pouring boiling water over them as 
in blanching almonds, let them cool and dry, then reduce 
them to a fine meal; mix well with the orris-root, and then 
stir in the oils. Keep securely shut frorn Hght and air, as 
the volatile oils take wings to themselves when there is a 
chance. These mixtures also quickly deteriorate when ex- 
posed to dampness, and it is well to mix them in small 
quantities to ensure freshness. 



THAT CLEANSING AGENT, GOOD SOAP. 145 

ALMOND MEAL. 

Bitter-almond meal 6 ounces 

Orris-root (powdered) 4 ounces 

Wheat flour 4 ounces 

White Castile soap i ounce 

Borax (powdered) i ounce 

Oil of bergamot 2 drachms 

Extract of musk i drachm 

Oil of bitter almonds 10 drops 

Mix powders thoroughly^ sift before adding perfumes; 
stir them in, and sift a second time. Keep in close-shut 
jars. It is convenient to keep a small quantity of one of 
these powders in a jar with perforated metal top, so the 
powder can be shaken upon the hand or cloth when needed 
for use. 

According to the state of the atmosphere, the skin may 
be dry or moist, rough or smooth. When it is irritated 
from exposure to wind or dust or sea-air, it is best to use 
instead of soap one of the foregoing powders or an emol- 
lient, saponaceous paste like the following: 

HONEY PASTE. 

Honey 50 grammes 

White Castile soap (powdered) 40 grammes 

Gum-benzoin 10 grammes 

Storax 10 grammes 

Spermaceti (powdered) 30 grammes 

Beat all together, in an earthen bowl, till a smooth paste; 
then dry by exposure to slow heat. Benzoin is a valuable 
aromatic medicament, with antiseptic properties which act 
against germs. Its presence in various compounds pre- 
serves greases from rancidity. Storax possesses similar 
properties, and for these is much esteemed in Turkey. 

If the face has been '' made up " with rouge, balms, and 
powders, it will be necessary to remove this with almond 
oil or vaseline before the bath, as water and soap will but 
fix it the firmer, and its retention during the night is most 



146 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

injurious to the skin. The night toilet is one of the most 
important measures towards preserving a beautiful skin, as 
well as improving a poor one or healing and curing a 
diseased one. The very common omission of it is one of 
the causes of unsightly comedones and acne punctata, both 
of which are pre-eminently diseases of uncleanliness, inter- 
nal and external. 

The most common external excitants of all skin disor- 
ders are the suppression of the secretions of the sebaceous 
glands and of the perspiratory fluids which are laden with 
acids, salts, bile, and organic matter in solution. As these 
are in their very nature effete matter, they are especially 
prone to excite inflam.mation, and offer just the opportu- 
nity for mischief for which that alert enemy, the micro- 
organism, is always waiting, and when the least irritation 
favors he begins his destructive work. The very acridity 
of the perspiratory secretions in some constitutions is suffi- 
cient to set up the irritation. 

The sebaceous secretions naturally diminish with age, 
very often early in adult life, and require reinforcement and 
stimulation, as want of this oil deprives the skin of its 
elasticity and suppleness. Massage is of first importance 
in preserving facial beauty, having a manifold effect. It 
not only encourages the suppleness and freshness of the 
skin tissues, but it provokes the activity of all its functions, 
contracting the glands and vessels and giving impetus to 
the circulation; moreover, the mechanical action also de- 
velops a certain amount of electricity, which is in itself re- 
vivifying to the cutaneous cells, just as it is to enfeebled 
muscles. To derive the fullest benefit from creams or tonic- 
lotions they should be massaged into the skin. 

The greater part of the muscles of the face are voluntary, 
under the control of the will and responding to it so facilely 
that they reflect every emotion as distinctly as a mirror re- 
flects the face. There are twenty-eight muscles about the 
mouth alone, which pout and laugh and smile, and too often 




FACIAL MASSAGE 



EFFACING WRINKLES AND LINES OF CARE. I49 

droop with fretful worry (See illustration showing muscular 
system of the head). That woman misuses these muscles 
by a reckless expenditure of emotion and by careless indul- 
gence in tricks of unlovely expression, is a truism. But she 
who would mend her ways will find in massage her salva- 
tion, if only she have perseverance enough to persist in the 
requisite self-treatment. No other regimen so strengthens 
and tightens the muscles. 

After the cleansing night-bath, with a little almond oil, 
fresh cream, or other emollient, begin by massaging the 
muscles of the cheek just in front of the upper half of the 
ear (See full-page illustration of various movements). Using 
the three long fingers of each hand, rub outward and up- 
ward, with firm but gentle touch, in a rotary motion which 
covers a circle about the size of a silver dollar. You can 
tell when you have located the muscle correctly by seeing 
how the upward motion pulls the muscles taut about the 
corners of the mouth, effacing the drooping lines from the 
nose. Massage will in time strengthen, the muscles so that 
the lines will be effaced. Next, massage the temple muscles 
in the same way. These also you can accurately locate by 
the even greater influence they exert on the same droop- 
ing lines from the nose, sometimes called " laughing 
wrinkles " ; and though not unlovely, they certainly are not 
becoming and are aging, and no woman would be loth to 
part with them. This movement also prevents the forma- 
tion of those dreaded birthday-marks, crow's feet, and 
effaces premature ones. 

The cheek muscles, running from the corners of the mouth 
up over the cheek bone, are manipulated with a " clawing 
motion " which must be light and quick, not pinching. This 
will fill out hollow cheeks, while it gives firmness to the tis- 
sues and banishes the tell-tale lines of worry. The fore- 
head is rubbed in a rotary motion upward from the inner 
corners of the eyes and outward, to remove horizontal lines; 
and the vertical furrows which habit, pain, or dtep thought 



150 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

wears between the eyes must be massaged wath the first 
fingers only, moving in a long oval in contrary direction 
passing each other. These are the hardest lines of all to 
efface. 

Above and below the eyes, rub very lightly wdth the mid- 
dle fingers in a vibratory motion outward from the nose to 
the temples. This strengthens the relaxed muscles of the 
eyelid. The delicacy of these tissues and of the organ they 
surround necessitates the utmost care and gentleness in 
manipulation. If the muscles are extremely relaxed and 
the upper eyelid flabby and drooping, it w^ould be a great 
advantage to have several treatments from a skilled 
masseuse; for nothing can be told quite so w^ell as it can 
be shown. 

The skin of the nose is predisposed to morbid conditions, 
and prompt to reflect every physical disturbance. All 
causes of nervous irritation whatsoever, affect it very un- 
favorably, and, therefore, its skin is especially apt to 
coarsen. If care be exercised to remove internal excitants, 
— physical or mental — massage will do much to remedy the 
evil. Rub gently but with considerable pressure, using the 
middle fingers and manipulating from the tip along the 
sides of the bridge to the top. Rotate well at the base, also, 
and the sides of the nostrils. In all these movements, re- 
member that the surface of the skin moves less under the 
fingers than it does on the muscles and bones, and their 
general direction is upward and outward. 

To restore the firm contour of the throat and neck, ro- 
tate the muscles firmly in a slanting direction from under 
the chin towards the shoulders, and from the middle of the 
throat backward and upw^ard tow^ards the ears. The breath- 
ing exercises wall do much towards rounding out and 
strengthening the throat-muscles, and especially, the forcing 
the deep, held breath against them for fifteen or twenty 
seconds. " After rotating face and neck with the fingers, 
stroke heavily, using the palmar surfaces of the four fingers, 



THE WILES OF THE "COMPLEXION-SPECIALIST. 151 

making the passes from the centre of the forehead outward, 
and back of the ears downward on the veins at the side of 
the neck ; also upward at the sides of the mouth and nose, 
and from the chin to the ears, to empty the veins, and pro- 
mote better circulation," Conclude with a few, moments of 
general rotating and soft stroking. 

For a dry, harsh, and coarsened skin, there is no other 
remedy so efficacious as this, which comes to the relief of 
torpid glands, and, by friction with emollients, aids the 
natural elimination of poisonous wastes, and the equally 
natural desquamation of the epidermis. It is also of won- 
derful advantage in skin diseases, and there is no other 
treatment which so favors a soft, velvety, fine-textured con- 
dition of the skin. The relief of all maladies or blemishes 
of the skin will be, of course, in proportion to the length 
of time they have endured; if recent, an almost immediate 
change will be seen, and the cure should be prompt; but if 
of long standing, chronic, it will be harder to correct the 
abnormal condition. Perseverance, however, aiding time 
and nature, will accomplish wonders: 

It is quite superfluous to urge upon women the necessity 
for giving the most serious consideration to the care of the 
skin. They are all sufficiently concerned; but the amazing 
thing is, that the large majority display such an utter want 
of judgment and discretion upon the subject, and are so 
readily victimized by every fresh accession to the rapidly 
swelling ranks of the so-called " complexion-specialists." 
These people promise to one and all, of every age and con- 
dition, youth and beauty as the reward for using their ex- 
pensive lotions, powders, and creams, or submitting to a so- 
called " course of treatment." I will not misname their 
preparations cosmetics, for too often they are positively 
deleterious; if merely harmless the deluded purchaser has 
reason to congratulate herself. 

" Cosmetic " means beautifying, or that which promotes 
beauty, and cosmetic arts are all those which tend to 



152 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

beautify the person, or improve personal appearance. The 
word has been so misused, so associated with manifold arti- 
ficial devices, that we have come to speak of all real cos- 
metics as toilet accessories, which they surely are. But 
corrosive-sublimate bleaches which eat oflf the epidermis, 
leaving the supersensitive derma beneath it exposed to the 
action of the air; iodine plasters which tear off the cuticle 
in an even more barbarous fashion; and parboiling the face 
with medicated steam, are not of these. They have been 
well named ''innovations worthy of a barbaric age; and 
the harm being wrought daily by these dangerous processes 
can hardly be overstated." ' 

The preparations used by these charlatans are very inex- 
pensive, and as the prices asked are enormous, the profits 
of the trade are so alluring that it has drawn to it a horde 
of audacious humbugs whose fortunes woman's vanity and 
credulity have built up. The pain resulting from the 
bleaches depends upon the delicacy of the skin. The in- 
tense soreness which follows is sometimes aggravated into 
virulent blood-poisoning. Occasionally an interesting de- 
tail is that the eyebrows and eyelashes all fall out. Many 
complexions are irretrievably ruined, coming out of the 
ordeal rough and blotchy. 

The most horrible of these processes, widely advertised 
as the " rejuvenating treatment " and exhibiting the picture 
of an aged woman, one of w^iose cheeks has the smoothness 
of an infant's while the rest of the face is seamed with 
wrinkles, is the iodine treatment. It is a peeling process of / 
the most agonizing sort. After the raw surface heals — 
from four to eight days — the complexion is in some cases 
very fair and lovely, but as expressionless as a wax doll's; 
and *' for months afterward the faintest breath of wind or 
a touch of the softest cloth in bathing the face causes the 
most exquisite torture." In a few months after taking this 
treatment, the sensitive skin commences to show thousands 



POISONOUS LOTIONS AND CREAMS. I53 

of criss-cross lines, which gradually deepen, till it resembles 
the shriveled surface of prematurely plucked fruit. 

The abuse of steam and electricity in complexion treat- 
ment is also very great; yet, properly used, these have 
virtues: Only the thoroughly equipped medical electrician, 
one as skillful in her profession as the well-trained surgeon 
in his, should be entrusted with the application of electricity. 
It has the power of stimulating all functional energy, pro- 
moting cellular nutrition, quickening the circulation, and 
energizing nerves and muscles; and permanent cures of 
acne and other skin diseases have been effected by its scien- 
tific application. Electrolysis is the surest and safest 
method for removing superfluous hair, and such serious 
facial blemishes as warts, moles, wens, and many birth- 
marks. The process has been so perfected now, that it is 
attended by no pain, and there is seldom even the slightest 
scar after the operation. 

Such fraudulent methods are employed in trade now, 
there is such a cunning art of adulteration and imitation in 
all commodities, that women need to observe the utmost 
caution in the purchase of all toilet accessories. The science 
of chemistry, which has made such vast strides in recent 
years, has become in the hands of the unscrupulous a pow- 
erful aid to the most flagrant cheating. There is almost 
no precious oil, gum, resin, bark, spice, or herb which can- 
not be chemically imitated at a cheaper rate than the real 
and pure perfume or drug can be put upon the market. 
Now, as these imitations seldom have any of the virtues of 
the real thing, it follows that it is of the utmost importance 
to buy everything of the kind from a chemist of the highest 
standing. 

Face-creams, toilet-soaps, skin-lotions, and powders offer 
a tempting field not only for adulteration but for the com- 
pounding of the most injurious imitations. Mutton-tallow 
with possibly a soupcon of some cheap oil is put up in jars 
and foisted upon credulous women as an invaluable skin- 



154 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

refiner and food ; the absence of perfume being extolled as a 
virtue, which under no circumstances can it be, unless some 
vile adulteration were used. Such '' creams " become rancid 
in a very short time, in which condition they are poisonous. 
Good perfume would, at least, keep the grease from grow- 
ing rancid; and if chosen with judgment would in itself add 
a tonic property to the mixture. 

Pure glycerine is, perhaps, the most valuable cosmetic 
that modern chemistry has placed at the service of woman. 
It has a wonderfully beautifying effect upon the skin, 
whitening and softening it and making it very supple; and 
possesses such a solvent power over all coloring matter, 
that it is one of the most effective agents for bleaching a 
sun-browned skin. It must never, of course, be used in a 
concentrated form, as it abstracts so much water from the 
skin that it appears to burn. There are many skins with 
which it does not seem to agree, but probably this is be- 
cause it is used in too concentrated a form. For the average 
skin, it should be diluted about one half w4th some per- 
fumed water; orange-flower, lavender, rose, elder-flower, 
and violet, are all good. For sensitive or dry skins, a solu- 
tion of a quarter or a third part of glycerine to the aromatic 
water will probably have a happy effect. 

Glycerine is a valuable ingredient in some of the emul- 
sions and vegetable milks and creams which are so effective 
in rendering the skin clear, transparent, and delicate. 
Emulsions are milky-looking lotions which, like milk, hold 
a certain amount of fat in suspension, and although almost 
free from alkali, possess as cleansing properties as soap, 
so their steady use is very beneficial to the skin. Glycerine 
possesses an antiseptic property which assists in maintain- 
ing the integrity of emulsions by preventing- separation and 
decomposition. The proneness of all fats to become rancid 
makes it important that an antiseptic should always be in- 
corporated with them for cosmetic use. Salicylic acid is 
also used for this purpose, but it has not the other cosmetic 



VALUABLE COSMETIC PROPERTIES OF GLYCERINE. 155 

properties of glycerine. Almond and olive oils and pure, 
fresh lard are the only fats employed for emulsions. 

White vaseline and cocoa-butter agree admirably with 
some skins, but their effect, like that of glycerine, can only 
be determined by experiment. The danger with both is, 
that if there is a predisposition to superfluous hair — hair 
that ought not to grow — they may increase it, as their 
action on the hair-follicles is very stimulating. Cocoa-but- 
ter has a tendency also to yellow some skins. Vaseline has 
the valuable quality of never growing rancid; it acts like 
a charm against slight eruptions, or rash from disturbed 
circulation, and it is an unequalled lubricator for the knees 
and other joints when exercising. 

Though it is somewhat troublesome to make cold creams 
and emulsions, because they require delicate and careful 
manipulation, the satisfaction of knowing what you are 
using is immense, and it is dainty work which any girl 
who has time for it will feel well repaid for doing. She will, 
moreover, find it a great economy to prepare these cos- 
metics herself; thus often being able to use them much 
more freely. Fat is the basis of all cold creams, and they 
are the medium for feeding this to the skin. To give the 
creams an attractive appearance and a degree of firmness 
when using oils the majority of formulae include wax and 
spermaceti ; but many skin-specialists disapprove of these 
substances, insisting that they are very clogging. Though 
they seem to agree with some skins, they would better not 
be used when there is any skin eruption or when the pores 
are enlarged. 

In making all cold creams the manner of manipulation 
is the same. The fats and oils are put in a bain-marie — a 
double-boiler — and warmed by gentle heat till they can be 
smoothly mingled or " creamed." Wanting a bain-marie, 
an earthen bowl placed in a basin of boiling water answers 
every purpose. The difficult part, that which requires most 
patience and skill, is uniting the other substances, perfumed 



156 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

waters, aromatic or astringent tinctures, etc., with the fatty 
base. The perfumed water is poured in very slowly in a 
fine stream, or even drop by drop, while the mixture 
is steadily stirred or beaten with a silver spoon or fork. 
All tinctures or extracts are added last of all, in the same 
way. Some people use an egg-beater with perfect success. 
The following formula is the simplest in a very large 
collection, and it has been handed down for generations 
from mother to daughter, through all the branches of aunts 
and cousins, in a family of Kentucky beauties. It is really 
the rose-cream of the pharmacy: 

KENTUCKY COLD CREAM. 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

Almond oil 4 ounces 

Spermaceti i ounce 

White wax i ounce 

Orange-flower, lilac, violet, or elder-flower water can be 
substituted for the rose-water at pleasure; and the addition 
of one drachm of tincture of benzoin or a half-drachm of 
salicylic acid will insure the cream from becoming rancid. 
It should always be put in small, open-mouthed jars, that 
can be tightly closed to exclude the air. 

A more elaborate formula is this: 

ORANGE-FLOWER CREAM. 

Oil of sweet almonds 4 ounces 

White wax 6 drachms 

Spermaceti 6 drachms 

Borax 2 drachms 

Glycerine i ^ ounces 

Orange-flower water 2 ounces 

Oil of neroli 15 drops 

Oil of bigarade (orange skin) 15 drops 

Oil of petit-grain 15 drops 

Mix as directed in the first formula; add the glycerine to 
the orange-flower water, and dissolve the borax in the 
mixture; then pour it slowly into the blended fats, stirring 



COLD CREAMS AND EMULSIONS. 157 

continuously; add the perfumed oils last, just before the 
cream congeals. Don't make the mistake of submitting the 
fatty substances of the base to a higher temperature than is 
needed to cream them thoroughly together. 

A tonic emollient for strengthening relaxed tissues as 
well as whitening and softening the skin, to be massaged 
into face, throat, and neck after the bath, and which can be 
used to advantage over the whole body, is this : 

AROMATIC MASSAGE-EMOLLIENT. 

Oil of sweet almonds 3 ounces 

Oil of bitter almonds 10 grammes 

■ Balsam of tolu 2 grammes 

Benzoin 2 grammes 

Essence of lemon 2 drops 

Essence of cajeput 2 drops 

The resins are powdered and triturated in the oils; keep 
at a gentle heat for twenty-four hours; then decant from the 
sediment and add the essential oils. These preparations 
are all valuable in correcting cutaneous disturbances, and, 
used for the nightly massage, will, unless internal irritations 
prevent, make the skin beautifully soft, white, and supple. 
Specially commended for use when the skin is red, dry, 
rough, or tanned from exposure to wind and sun, are the 
two following: 

ELDER-FLOWER CREAM. 

Almond-oil 3 ounces 

White wax 5 drachms 

Spermaceti 5 drachms 

Lanoline i ounce 

Oil of bitter almonds i drachm 

Elder-flower water 3 ounces 

Witch hazel i ounce 

CUCUMBER CREAM. 

Almond-oil 4 ounces 1 

Spermaceti i ounce I 

White wax i ounce I 

Cucumber juice 2 ounce's j 



158 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Select cucumbers ripe enough for table use; cut and 
chop them fine; pound to a paste; and extract the juice 
by squeezing through a jelly-bag. Perfume with a half- 
drachm of violet extract. Lettuce and iris creams, made 
in the same way, are claimed to possess special efficacy in 
heahng a tanned and wind-irritated skin. The lettuce must 
be scalded with boiling water; let stand a few moments, 
then pour the water off, and pound the lettuce to a paste in 
a mortar or an earthen bowl; strain through a cloth. For 
the iris, extract the juice from the fresh flowers and the 
whitish parts of their stems, and obtain enough from the 
deep purple flower-petals to tint the cream violet color. The 
violet perfume is suited to both of these. 

Much of the suffering from exposure to wind and weather 
and grinding dust, and especially the intense burning from 
sun and wind on the water, can be avoided by properly 
protecting the skin from their action. Some emollient 
cream should be rubbed into the skin, and then a pure 
hygienic powder dusted over the face quite freely. Incal- 
culable harm is done to the skin by the use of powders in 
which mineral substances predominate. Lead, arsenic, and 
mercury are active poisons, the continued use of which 
jeopardizes even life itself; while bismuth, which is the 
basis of most '' Pearl White " and " Blanc de Perks/' ulti- 
mately ruins the structure of the skin, causing atrophy of 
its minute vessels, and drying it till it looks like yellow 
parchment. 

A good powder must be cooling, and form a protection 
to the skin against atmospheric impurities, while not 
obstructing the action of the glands, and the vegetable 
powders insure these conditions most completely. The 
presence of sugar of lead in any cosmetic preparation can 
be detected by testing it with ammonia, which will turn it 
black. 

A simple and agreeable face-powder can be made at 
home in the flower season by gathering any fragrant bios- 



PROTECT THE SKIN AGAINST WIND AND DUST. 159 

soms, — roses and violets are, naturally, the favorites, — and 
burying them in very finely powdered starch — rice or po- 
tato is the best — and orris-root, in the proportions of three 
of starch to one of orris-root. Renew the flowers every 
twenty-four hours for a week, when the powder should be 
delightfully perfumed. A talcum powder which is com- 
mended as harmless is prepared as follows: Put four 
ounces of talcum powder in a glass jar, and pour over it 
eight ounces of distilled vinegar. Let it stand for a fort- 
night, shaking it daily; then filter it through coarse brown 
paper, and wash the powder in distilled water — filtering it 
again — till no taste of the vinegar remains. Mix the pow- 
der, together with fifteen grammes of spermaceti finely 
comminuted, and three grains of carmine, with sufficient 
violet-water to make a paste. Put in open-mouthed jars 
and cover with fine linen to protect from dust while it dries. 
Dr. Vaucaire commends the following: 

POUDRE DE RIZ FINE.- 

Rice flour 6 ounces 

Rice starch 6 ounces 

Carbonate of magnesia 3 ounces 

Boric acid, pulverized lYz ounces 

Orris-root, finely powdered 1^4 drachms 

Essence of citron 15 drops 

Essence of bergamot 30 drops 

Mingle the essences with the carbonate of magnesia, and 
then triturate all together. Apply the powder over the 
cream, a little while before going out, and put it on gen- 
erously. Then the last thing wipe ofif the superfluous pow- 
der with a piece of soft chamois. The skin is thus perfectly 
protected, and the dust can be wiped off with cream or an 
emulsion. 

The following cream agrees especially with oily skins. It 
has been pronounced unsurpassed, and has the desirable 
quality of keeping perfectly for an indefinite period: 



l6o THE WOiMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

CREAM OF POND LILIES. 

Orange-flower water, triple 6 ounces 

Deodorized alcohol. . .^, i^ ounces 

Bitter almonds, blanched i ounce 

White wax i drachm 

Spermaceti i drachm 

Oil of benne i drachm 

Shaving cream i drachm 

Oil of bergamot 12 drops 

Oil of cloves 6 drops 

Oil of neroli, bigarade 6 drops 

Borax Vs ounce 

In preparing this observe the directions given for mix- 
ing the almond lotion. The shaving cream is a sapona-' 
ceous paste, found ready prepared at most chemists'. Dis- 
solve the borax in the orange-flower water, slightly 
warmed; mingle the wax, spermaceti, oil of benne, and 
shaving cream in a hain-maric, at gentle heat; then stir in 
the perfumed water and almonds, and finish as directed 
for the next lotion. 

All almond preparations have always held high rank in 
cosmetic arts. In the estimation of our great-grandmothers 
the simple milk of almonds had great virtue. For this, 
put the almonds in a sieve and dip it in boiling water; this 
makes it easy to blanch them. Bruise them in a mortar, 
and add distilled (or perfumed) water in the proportion of 
a half-pint to thirty almonds; put in a lump of sugar to 
prevent the separation of the oil from the water, and beat 
thoroughly. Strain through a flannel and perfume with a 
half-drachm of essence. 

ALMOND LOTION. 

Bitter almonds, blanched 4 ounces 

Orange-flower water 12 ounces 

Curd soap (any fine toilet-soap) ^ ounce 

Oil of bergamot 50 drops 

Oil of cannelle 10 drops 

Oil of almonds 20 drops 

Alcohol 65% 4 ounces 



SOME CUCUMBER COSMETICS, l6l 

This is a bland lotion very cleansing, whitening, and 
softening. The soap must be powdered or broken up, and 
dissolved in the orange-flower water by heating in a bain- 
marie; beat up the almonds in a clean marble mortar, and 
gradually work in the soap and water; strain through a 
clean muslin strainer, then return to the mortar and, while 
stirring, gradually work in the alcohol in which the oils 
have been previously dissolved. 

A simpler but very fine lotion for whitening and cooling 
the skin and preserving its freshness after the use of creams 
is 

LAIT VIRGINAL. 

Tincture of benzoin jounce 

Tincture of vanilla 2 drachms 

Rose-water, triple i^ pints 

Mix the tinctures, and add the water slowly to prevent 
precipitation and curdling; it should be a perfect milky- 
emulsion. Tincture of tolu can be substituted for vanilla, 
and other aromatic water for rose; but the process of 
mingling is the same. 

CUCUMBER LOTION. 

Expressed juice of cucumbers ^ pint 

Deodorized alcohol i^ ounces 

Oil of benne 3^ ounces 

Shaving cream i drachm 

Blanched almonds i-)4 drachms 

Prepare as dii'ected for almond lotion. An excellent cos- 
metic with which to massage face and throat, whitening the 
skin and also toning relaxed tissues. It agrees with some 
skins better than any of the creams containing an important 
base of wax and spermaceti, and can be used to cleanse the 
skin during the day. Somewhat similar is the following, 
which is especially efficacious in whitening the throat. It is 
an English proprietary cosmetic of high repute. It tends to 
contract enlarged pores, and to stimulate healthful action; 



1 62 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and, indeed, is almost a specific witli sensitive skins for red- 
ness, roughness, and sunburn. 

CUCUMBER MILK. 

Oil of sweet almonds 4 ounces 

Fresh cucumber juice , . 10 ounces 

Essence of cucumbers 3 ounces 

White Castile soap (powdered) ^ ounce 

Tincture of benzoin % drachm 

The juice of the cucumbers is obtained by boiling them 
in a very little water. Slice them very thin, skin and all, 
and let them cook slowly till soft and mushy; strain 
through a fine sieve, and then through a cloth. Make the 
essence by putting an ounce and a half of the juice into 
the same quantity of high-proof alcohol. Put the essence 
with the soap in a large jar or bottle — the larger the bet- 
ter, as the mixture requires much shaking. After a few 
hours, when the soap is dissolved, add the cucumber juice; 
shake till thoroughly mixed; then pour out into an earthen 
bowl and add the oil and benzoin, stirring constantly till 
you have a creamy liquid. Be sure that the cucumber juice 
is strong, for it is the natural arsenic in the cucumber which 
imparts its wonderfully whitening power. Put the emul- 
sion in small bottles; keep tightly corked and in the dark; 
and always shake before using. It is so quickly absorbed 
by the skin that it is very pleasant to use. 

The following lotion is also adapted to oily skins, and a 
spoonful of it softens a basin of water and makes a pleasant 
bath for any one: 

EAU DE BEAUTE. 

Tincture of benzoin i ounce 

Tincture of musk 2 drachms 

Tincture of ambergris 4 drachms 

Rectified spirits 5 ounces 

Orange-flower water 1^4 pints 

Add the tinctures to the spirits, then mingle with the 
perfumed water. It is cooling and refreshing to the skin, 



TOILET WATERS OF MAGIC VIRTUE. 163 

acting as a tonic; and efficacious in removing tan and 
freckles. If the perfumes are of the best and purest quaUty 
the result will be a milky emulsion. 

VINAIGRE A LA VIOLETTE. 

Extract of cassie, No. 2 {Acacia fantesiana) 5 ounces 

Extract of violet, No. 2 5 ounces 

Extract of rose, No. 2 5 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 5 ounces 

White-wine vinegar i pint 

This must digest for ten days, and then be filtered 
through porous paper. Don't confound the cassie — a floral 
odor — with cassia, which is extracted from the bark of cin- 
namon cassia. A teaspoonful in a basin of water makes a 
refreshing sponge-bath on a hot day ; it is always delightful 
in the warm bath, and will often relieve the pain of throb- 
bing temples. It is especially adapted to that condition of 
skin resulting from late hours in close, hot rooms, and from 
humid weather, being both tonic and astringent. Eau de 
Bcante and Lait Virginal, and the famous perfumed water . 
which follows, have similar virtues, and. are severally 
adapted to different skins. 

The celebrated Hungary water, by means of which, cen- 
turies ago, the beautiful Queen Elizabeth of Hungary was 
reputed to have retained her marvellous complexion to an 
advanced age, owes its peculiar virtues to rosemary; and 
could it do all that is claimed for it, it would deserve the 
name of bloom of youth: 

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S HUNGARY WATER. 

Oil of rosemary y/2 ounce 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) 2 drachms 

Oil of petit-grain 30 drops 

Tincture of tolu 4 drachms 

Orange-flower water ^ pint 

Spirits of wine (rectified) i>^ pints 

This is tonic and astringent, strengthening relaxed mus- 
cles, and therefore something of a wrinkle eradicator. It 



164 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

can be applied directly to the skin, or be used in the bath- 
water. So famous a lotion has of course had many imita- 
tions, and another formula which Cooley gives as the gen- 
uine Continental one is much more complicated, but con- 
tains fewer ingredients: 

EAU DE LA REINE D'HONGRIE. 

Rosemary -tops (in blossom) 2 pounds 

Sage (fresh) ^4 pound 

Rectified spirit 3 quarts 

Water i quart 

Digest for ten days, throw the whole into a still, add a 
pound and a half of common salt, and draw off six pints. 
To the distillate add of 

Jamaica ginger (bruised) i ounce 

Digest a few days, and either decant or filter. It is 
esteemed on the Continent as both a skin and hair tonic. 
Askinson's formula for the magic lotion is this: 

HUNGARIAN WATER. 

Extract of orange flowers i pint 

Extract of roses (triple) i pint 

Oil of lemon i ounce 

Oil of melissa i ounce 

Oil of peppermint 30 minims 

Oil of rosemary 2 ounces 

Spirits of wine (rectified) . . .^ 5 quarts 

The substances should digest in the spirits for two weeks, 
being agitated daily; then filter if not clear. 

The protection of the skin from the impurities of the air, 
especially when exposed to the dust and dirt of travel, or 
the chafif and microbe-laden wind of city streets is really 
of great importance; for these are sources of infection and 
danger, especially to very delicate, over-thin skins and 
those which flush readily. The habitual use of cold water, 
and the pernicious habit of sousing the face with it imme- 



CAUSES OF SKIN DISORDERS. 165 

diately after exposure to heat and drying winds, sets up an 
irritation which the ever-ready microbe seizes; and many 
cutaneous affections have no other origin than this. Thus, 
the dust; active poisons, as minerals and rancid, fats, with 
which women voluntarily coat their skins; improperly 
laundered towels and wash-cloths, and foul sponges; and 
impure or hard water, are the external evils against which 
eternal vigilance must be exercised. The careless dosing 
with certain drugs, as iodine and bromide of potassium, is 
an internal excitant of acna vulgaris. 

Spasmodic attention is of no value. Don't expect that 
the careful night toilet attended to every other night, or 
just when you feel like it, will result in any special good. 
Every time it is omitted there is danger from the resulting 
obstruction of the pores, and irregularity of diet or baths, 
or want of exercise, will undo the good accomplished. Like 
seeks like, and evils have wondrous afhnity for each other. 
The poisonous wastes, clogging earthy substances, co- 
operate actively with external irritants; and create that 
blight of so many complexions, comedones and acne, com- 
monly cahed '' worms." They are accumulations of oily 
secretions from the ducts of the sebaceous glands, which 
from some of the unfavorable influences already enumer- 
ated are not expelled. The chemical action of the air, and 
often of some powder or lotion applied to the face, turns 
the matter at the minute opening black. " When examined 
under the microscoJDC, each of these little masses, tech- 
nically called comedo, is found to contain a pair, and often 
a numerous progeny, of minute parasitic worms. These 
cause no annoyance or irritation unless they become very 
numerous and active, in which case an ordinary pimple 
[acne punctata] results." 

Any attempt to expel them by force irritates and often 
bruises the skin, and they are sure to return unless the 
cause is removed. The healthful action of all internal ex- 
cretory organs must be attended to, and that of the skin 



l66 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ensured by cleanliness. For this condition the complexion 
brush is needed and hot water and soap or emollient paste 
to relax the pores and encourage them to yield their clog- 
ging contents; and the operation should be assisted by 
cold creams of a special sort, containing no spermaceti or 
white wax, but only penetrating oils which will dissolve the 
hardened secretions, and at the same time strengthen and 
feed the skin. Pure, sweet cream is sometimes the best 
thing that can be used, and milk baths — one part milk to 
one and a half of water — are efficacious. 

A French physician and skin-specialist, Mme. Pokitonoff, 
considers almond-oil, lanoline, vaseline, and pure fresh lard 
the best fats to use upon the face-skin, and for acne and 
comedones she commends the following: 

POKITONOFF ACNE OINTMENT. 

Ergotine 3 grammes 

Oxide of zinc 7 grammes 

Vaseline 30 grammes 

COMEDONE OINTMENT. 

Resorcin (dissolved in alcohol) 5 grammes 

Lard (pure and fresh) 100 grammes 

or this : 

Salicylic acid 50 grammes 

Lard or vaseline ^ 50 grammes 

The substances are thoroughly blended by stirring or 
beating; and the ointment is rubbed into the skin like any 
cream. The following is prepared in the same way: 

ACNE OINTMENT. 

Naphtol (Beta) 2 grammes 

Sulphur (precip.) 20 grammes 

Potash soap 20 grammes 

Potash soap is the " green soap " of the pharmacist, and 
is often used in chronic cases of comedones and acne. The 
face can even be frictioned with it alone. If its action is 



TREATMENT OF ACNE AND COMEDONES. 167 

too severe, the alkali can be counteracted by bathing the 
skin with toilet vinegar. Particularly obstinate comedones 
have sometimes to be removed by pressing a watch-key 
down over them, but this would better be done after steam- 
ing has relaxed the pores. 

The difference in constitutions is so great, and the ex- 
citing causes of pimples vary so much, that a specific for 
one person is sometimes valueless for another. Other ex- 
cellent remedies are: 

ACNE LOTION. 

Precipitate of sulphur i drachm 

Tincture of camphor. i drachm 

Glycerine i drachm 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

Or this: 

Pure brandy 2 ounces 

Cologne I ounce 

Liquor of potassa ^ ounce 

And for 

COMEDONES. 

Subcarbonate of soda :i)6 grains 

Distilled water 8 ounces 

Essence of roses 6 drops 

Apply frequently with absorbent cotton or linen. 

Steaming the face is often the quickest method for en- 
couraging the pores to yield their hardened contents. Face- 
steamers can be had for this purpose, but wanting one, a 
chafing-dish over an alcohol burner answers just as well; or 
a large bowl of boiling water can be made to accomplish the 
work. Bend the face over it so the palms of the hands can 
support the head, and envelop head and basin in a light 
shawl or a large Turkish towel. One of the foregoing oint- 
ments should be rubbed into the skin before steaming, 
which should continue till free perspiration is induced. 
Wipe the face gently with a soft linen cloth so as to remove 
all exuded matter, and then rub in the following: 



l68 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

LANOLINE CREAM. 

Lanoline i ounce 

Sweet-almond oil i/^ ounce 

Boric acid 40 drops 

Tincture of benzoin 10 drops 

A sulphur steam-bath is sometimes a wonderfully prompt 
remedy against skin affections. It can be given in the same 
way,' by using a copper vessel for the boiling water, and 
stretching across it a strip of tin wide enough to hold a hot 
saucer containing the sulphur or some sulphume. 

An English physician gives the following formula for a 
lotion to be used for acne after bathing with potash soap : 

ENGLISH ACNE LOTION. 

Sulphur precipitate 4 drachms 

Camphor gum 20 grains 

Acacia gum 40 grains 

Lime-water 4 ounces 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

For acne and other pimples this cream also is com- 
mended: 

FOSSATI CREAM. 

Lanoline 2J/2 ounces 

Almond-oil 2^2 ounces 

Sulphur precipitate 2>^ ounces 

Oxide of zinc 1% ounces 

Violet extract 2 drachms 

Rub the oil gradually into the sulphur and zinc till a paste 
is formed; then add the lanoline and perfume. Keep in 
close-shut porcelain jars. Apply at night to each pimple 
with a tiny camel's-hair paint-brush, and wipe away in the 
morning with a bit of soft linen. 

The most famous and reliable lotion known to pharma- 
cists for the cure of obstinate eruptions and sores, glandular 
swellings and minor indurations, and which whitens the 
skin and bleaches freckles, is the simple mercurial lotion 
made as follows : Dissolve by agitation ten grains of corro- 



SOME FAMOUS COSMETIC LOTIONS. 169 

sive sublimate in a half-pint each of distilled water and 
pure rose-water. If distilled water is not used, add six 
grains of pure sal-ammoniac to prevent decomposition. 
When using it, a small quantity should be poured from the 
bottle into a clean saucer or glass; apply with a bit of 
linen; and never wet it at the mouth of the bottle, as the 
solution will quickly decompose if this common practice be 
followed. Contact with metals or anything of a saline 
nature will also spoil it; and as it is an active poison, the 
bottle should be so marked in red ink, and placed out of the 
reach of children. No fear should be felt towards its exter- 
nal use, as it is not only absolutely harmless, but one of the 
oldest and best known cosmetics. The addition of an ounce 
of glycerine — omitting the same quantity of distilled water 
— makes it very efficacious and healing in all cases of itch- 
ing or irritation. The sublimate should be in pure crystals. 
Next in importance to this, and for some purposes even 
more efficacious, is Gowland's Lotion, for which I give 
Cooley's formula, " sanctioned by the medical profession " : 

GOWLAND'S LOTION. 

Jordan almonds (blanched) i ounce 

Bitter almonds 3 drachms 

Distilled water i pint 

Bichloride of mercury (coarse powder) 15 grains 

With half the water make the almonds into an emulsion 
as directed for simple almond-milk ; strain it, and gradually 
add the mercury previously dissolved in the other half of 
the water. When finished, add enough water — some will 
have wasted — to make it measure exactly one pint. Exer- 
cise the same precautions in using it as directed for the 
foregoing, and take care that nothing alkaline or metallic 
touches the liquid. It equals the glycerinated solution in 
its cosmetic effects, and the long-continued use of either 
will do much toward effacing smallpox marks. They are 
also the only effective remedies against obstinate, all-the- 
year-round, freckles, often called " cold freckles. '^ The last 



1 70 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

can be used once or twice a day, as night and morning, after 
the bath. Leave it to dry in for a few moments, then wipe 
off with a soft cloth. 

Most of the " beauty washes " with which ignorant and 
dishonest pretenders claim to accomplish such marvellous 
transformations, are clumsy and unskillful imitations of 
these celebrated cosmetics. Being too often made from im- 
pure substances, and containing a dangerous proportion of 
the corrosive sublimate, — bichloride of mercury, — they de- 
compose rapidly, and are utterly unfit for use. No change 
can be made in the formulae, no addition of other articles or 
substitution, without causing decomposition of the active 
ingredients; except that orange-flower water may be sub- 
stituted for the rose-water, or the perfumed water may be 
replaced with like quantity of distilled water; and some- 
times the sublimate is dissolved in two to three drachms of 
rectified spirit before adding the water, which adds nothing 
to the virtue of the lotion but is convenient. 

Massage is also a valuable agent in eradicating freckles 
and the predisposition to them. Everything that promotes 
the activity of the skin tends to remove its blemishes, which 
are all manifestations of abnormal conditions. The " Medi- 
cal Record" commends this: 

FRECKLE LOTION. 

Lactic acid. 4 ounces 

Glycerine , 2 ounces 

Rose-water i ounce 

Apply several times daily with a soft linen cloth, pouring 
a small quantity of the lotion, as needed, into a saucer. This 
is a dainty and proper precaution to observe wath all lotions 
and perfumes which cannot be poured from a drop-stopper, 
— a convenient modern appliance with which every liquid 
toilet-preparation should be supplied. 

The elder-flower cream can be used to advantage with 
this or other freckle lotions of the same sort — containing 
acids — whose nature is to burn the skin. Different skins 



THE TREATMENT OF FRECKLES. fj t 

are dififerently affected ; and if the redness and irritation are 
painful, the lotion should be used more infrequently and the 
burning allayed with the cream. 

GLYCERINATED LEMON LOTION. ' 

Citric acid (lemon) 3 drachms 

Hot water 11 ounces 

Borax 2 drachms 

Red rose-petals i ounce 

Glycerine i ounce 

Dissolve the acid and borax in the water ; infuse the petals 
for an hour; strain through a jelly-bag ; after twenty-four 
hours, decant the clear portion, and add the glycerine. 

FRECKLE SPECIFIC. 

Distilled water 6 ounces 

Glycerine 2 ounces 

Dextrine ^ ounce . 

Oxide of zinc 160 grains 

Oxychloride of bismuth 60 grains 

Corrosive sublimate 6 grains 

A very powerful application to be made and used with 
utmost care. Dissolve the last three substances in the water, 
add the dextrine to the glycerine; after agitation mingle 
the two mixtures and shake thoroughly but not violently. 
Observe precautions given with other mercury solutions. 
This is to be appHed sparingly to affected parts with a 
camel's-hair brush. 

Two French remedies, about which I personally know 
nothing, but which have the advantage of being commended 
as preventive, are these : Beat the white of an egg to a froth 
and mix with an equal proportion of sweet-almond oil. Rub 
upon the face at night; and after the morning bath apply 
this lotion : 

EAU ANTI-EPHELIDE. 

Rose-water. 100 grammes 

Borax 5 grammes 

Spirits of camphor 10 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin 5 grammes 



172 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The latter can be used both night and mornmg, omittmg 
the beaten egg and oil, which it is said to equal in efficacy. 
The following is said to be excellent for old and obstinate 
discolorations, — freckles, and also the ugly marks left by 
linen collars on the neck (for which purpose also the Cucum- 
ber ]\Iilk is effective) : 

HARDY'S FRECKLE LOTION. 

Bichloride of mercury 4 grammes 

Sulphate of zinc 8 grammes 

Spirits of camphor 10 grammes 

Distilled water 300 grammes 

For use, dilute with three parts of water, and apply with 
a bit of linen. It is not so strong as the " Freckle Specific," 
but equal care must be exercised in its use. 

LAVENDER FRECKLE LOTION. 

Distilled water i pint 

Lavender-water, triple 2 drachms 

Sal-ammoniac (powdered) i drachm 

Hydrochloric acid ^ drachm 

Apply night and morning with a linen cloth ; or alternate 
its use with one of the following ointments applied after the 
cleansing night-bath: 

FRECKLE POMADE. 

Citrine ointment i drachm 

Oil of almonds i drachm 

Spermaceti ointment 6 drachms 

Otto of roses 3 drops 

Beat thoroughly, in a Wedgewood-ware mortar, using a 
wooden or bone spoon or blade. 

ELDER-FLOWER POMADE. 

Sulphate of zinc (levigated) 20 grains 

Elder-flower ointment i ounce 

" These ointments are recommended for either summer- 



THE CAUSE OF FRECKLES AND TAN. I73 

freckles or cold-freckles, a little being applied night and 
morning, preceded by soap-and-water." 

According to the present theory, it is not the heat of the 
sun which develops freckles and tans and burns the skin, 
but the light from its electrical rays ( commonly called ac- 
tinic, which merely signifies chemical) ; and it is the differ- 
ence in the chemical constituents of the pigment in the skin 
which causes these rays to afifect some persons so much 
more seriously than others. Neither blue veils nor white 
ones are the least protection, as the electric rays pass di- 
rectly through them. Red rejects these blue and violet rays, 
therefore a reddish-brown veil interposes an obstacle ; and, 
of course, a red one is protective, but has only that recom- 
mendation. Even fashion can never make a red veil or red 
gloves other than hideous. The veil habit is a very bad one 
for the eyes, and if women understood their own advantage 
and welfare, the manufacturers of spotted-net veiling would 
go out of business, for not a yard of it would be sold. When 
a veil is really needed for protection, it should be of gauze 
or chififon. 

If the skin is well rubbed with cold cream and powdered, 
it will come through the ordeal of a yachting-trip or a fish- 
ing-excursion without serious burning. When, however, 
this precaution has not been taken, the pain from a first 
exposure, in the process of a summer tanning, can be greatly 
alleviated by bathing the face for ten or fifteen minutes with 
water as hot as can be borne ; follow this with gentle mas- 
sage, rubbing in sweet cream, almond-milk, vaseline, or any 
cold cream. The orange-flower, cucumber, or elder-flower 
are especially adapted to this condition. This will reduce 
the inflammation, but will not bleach the skin; and if you 
have no ambition to become as brown as an Indian, you 
must follow the massaging with steaming as already di- 
rected. After gentle wiping, apply Gowland's Lotion or one 
of the milder freckle lotions, — the glycinerated lemon, or 
that with lactic acid. 



174 -^^^ WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Simple home remedies for tanning — and also for freckles 
— are to wash the face in fresh buttermilk or in this horse- 
radish lotion : Scrape a teaspoonful of horseradish into a 
cup of sour milk ; let it stand six hours before using. Ap- 
ply two or three times a day. Another excellent preparation 
which, besides preventing and removing freckles and other 
discolorations, whitens, softens, and refines the skin, and 
will prevent chapping and roughness, is this : 

HONEY BALSAM. 

Pure honey 4 ounces 

Glycerine i ounce 

Rectified spirits i ounce 

Citric acid (pure) 3 drachms 

Essence of ambergris 6 drops 

Mix the first two by gentle heat; dissolve the acid in the 
spirits, and add the essence; when the first mixture is cold, 
put the two together and agitate till mingled. This is ex- 
tremely emollient for the hands as well as face. 

An even more protective make-up than that already ad- 
vised is a cream which has great vogue in Oriental harems 
as a beautifier, and purifies the skin while preserving it. The 
harem beauties make it the foundation of an elaborate 
make-up : 

SULTANA CREAM. 

Sweet-almond oil 4 ounces 

White wax melted 320 grains 

Spermaceti 320 grains 

Benzoin (finely powdered) 100 grains 

Tincture of ambergris 60 grains 

Rice feculse (pulverized) 320 grains 

Pure carmine 15 grains 

Blend the fats in a bain-marie as previously directed for 
all creams; add the benzoin while they are heating; the rice 
and carmine while cooling; and tincture last of all. Spread 
it on the face and throat, gently and carefully, rubbing it 



ORIENTAL AND FRENCH BEAUTIFIERS. 1 75 

into the skin, and avoid its getting into the eyebrows or 
close to the eyes. Powder with any fine flesh-colored pow- 
der or vcloutinc, applying freely with a puff, and after a lit- 
tle while wipe off with a bit of chamois. This masks as 
effectually as a plaster of pastes and paints ah slight im- 
perfections of the skin, without having the repulsively arti- 
ficial look which they give. By artificial light it is said to 
be imperceptible, and to give the appearance of a superb 
complexion. 

A powder of magic property, handed down in the '' Mar- 
quise de Fontenoy's " family from an ancestress who was 
a celebrated beauty at the court of Louis XIV., is prepared 
in this manner : 

POUDRE D'AMOUR. 

" Scrape six juicy, raw carrots and half a pink beet- 
root, squeeze the juice out through a muslin bag, and put it 
aside. Take three ounces finely powdered corn-starch, 
mix with the carrot and beet juice, expose it to the sun, 
and stir occasionally until the fluid evaporates, leaving the 
tinted starch dry. Sift through a piece of silk gauze and 
add: 

Powdered Venetian talc 300 grains 

Powdered lycopodium 300 grains 

Powdered bergamot 45 grains 

Powdered bismuth subnitrate 7 grains 

" Sift again, and keep in a sandal-wood box." 
For an evening toilet, spread the Sultana Cream over 
face, neck, and arms, then powder with the Poudre 
d' Amour, wiping off the superfluous pow^der with antiseptic 
gauze. In many French beauty-books the use of this gauze 
or absorbent cotton is recommended for all toilet purposes, 
— the applying of lotions and powders, and wiping-off of 
creams; and great stress is laid upon dainty nicety and 
absolute purity of everything used about the toilet. Anti- 
septic lotions are freely used in cleansing things. 



176 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

A very good face-powder is made of equal parts of pre- 
cipitated carbonate of zinc and French chalk, and it can be 
colored with a few^ grains of carmine or wdth the vegetable 
juice, like Poiidre d' Amour. In mixing any of these pow- 
ders, two or three siftings through silk bolting-cloth im- 
proves their quality. Here is one more which is pronounced 
very fine by those who have used it : 

ROXDELETIA FACE-POWDER. 

Corn-Starch or rice powder 4 ounces 

Oxide of zinc i ounce 

Drop chalk 2 ounces 

White clay (kaolin) 2 ounces 

Orris-root 2 ounces 

White French chalk i ounce 

Carmine 15 grains 

Oil of lavender 30 drops 

Oil of cloves 30 drops 

Oil of cedrat 15 drops 

Oil of rose geranium 15 drops 

The dry substances must be finely powdered and sifted 
through silk bolting-cloth; mix the oils together, and add 
them gradually to the powder, tossing it up w4th an ivory 
or wooden spoon. Shut tight in jar or bottle for tw^o or 
three days, then sift again, after which it is ready for use. 

Doctor A'aucaire gives the formula which follow^s, with 
the endorsement that it entirely replaces the so-much- 
vaunted injurious preparations, and will agree with the 
most delicate skins: 

VELOUTINE FINE. 

Venetian talcum-powder 20 grammes 

L5-copodium powder 20 grammes 

Powdered tannin 5 grammes 

Boric acid 5 grammes 

Essence de patchouly 10 drops 

And still another is this: 



BEAUTY IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP. 177 

HYGIENIC POWDER. 

Farina starch 50 grammes 

Powdered talcum 20 grammes 

Powdered lycopodium 20 grammes 

Salol or boric acid 10 grammes 

♦ Essence of violets 20 drops 

The starch is to be stained with carrot and beet juices as 
directed for Poudrc d' Amour, and the process of mixing 
for both is as previously described. 

It is not by staying indoors and avoiding exposure to sun 
and air that a good complexion can be preserved or ob- 
tained. The menace of close, impure air, alone, to say noth- 
ing of want of exercise, and consequent torpidity of natural 
functions involved in such foolish protection, is a grave one 
which has already been fully emphasized. Fresh air is the 
life of the skin as it is of the body, and it cannot have too 
much of it. Try to forget that misleading old adage, 
" Beauty is but skin deep." It comes from the very marrow 
of the bones; and anything that lowers the health of any 
part threatens the integrity and perfection- of the enveloping 
tissue. There must be " a sound bony system " or there 
can be no beautiful skin; and the beneficial effect of all the 
beautifying compounds here given depends upon a radical 
change from the habits of life which have produced the im- 
perfections. 

Often several generations of incorrect living on salt fish 
and pork, smoked meats, fried foods, soggy, hot breads of 
fine white flour, and greasy, tough pastry, with insufficient 
vegetables and fruits, have gone into the building of the 
disordered hver, dyspeptic stomach, and generally torpid 
condition, which ultimate in freckles, moth-patches, liver 
spots, and acne and other eruptions. Therefore, it must not 
be expected that a cure can be efYected immediately, or 
with anything short of regular, careful, and persistent ad- 
herence to hygienic rules of living. Oftener than not, as 
I have pointed out, all skin aiTections are the result of long- 



lyS THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

continued violation of these laws, and new blood and new 
tissues must be formed, and the organs trained and stimu- 
lated to normal activity, before a decided improvement will 
be seen. Unflagging attention to cleanliness, sufhcient daily 
exercise to induce perspiration, and fresh air, outside and 
inside, will do more to hasten it than all else. 

For the common sort of pimples which often trouble 
young girls, and others of nervous, excitable temperament 
who suffer from disturbed circulation, this ointment is 
usually a specific : 

Bi-carbonate of so^a 36 grains 

Glycerine i drachm 

Spermaceti ointment i ounce 

Rub on the affected parts; let it remain fifteen minutes, 
then wipe off all but a slight film. At the same time take 
internally : 

R. Compound extract of colocynth.. . . . . 30 grains 

Sulphate of iron 25 grains 

Extract of nux vomica 10 grains 

To be mixed in 25 pills ; dose, one pill, night and morn- 
ing. 

Scaly eruptions call for iodide of potassium internally ; 
and ioduretted or sulphuretted lotions and baths are the 
external remedies. 

GLYCERINATED IODIDE LOTION. 

Iodide of potassium 2 drachms 

Distilled water i pint 

Glycerine (pure) i ounce 

Dissolve the iodide in the water, then add the glycerine. 
Apply with antiseptic gauze or fine linen. It is an excellent 
skin-cosmetic, used Hke Gowland's Lotion, and especially 
beneficial for persons of scrofulous or scorbutic taint ; for 
all eruptions and swellings, or indurations arising from that 



GENERAL TREATMENT FOR SKIN ERUPTIONS. 1 79 

cause; or the drying effects of the wind. It is also pro- 
nounced a valuable hair-lotion. A more active preparation 
for severe cases and enlarged glands is the 

COMPOUND LOTION OF IODINE. 

Iodide of potassium 30 grains 

Iodine 15 grains 

Distilled or soft water i pint 

Dissolve by agitation in an ounce of the water first, then 
add the remainder. 

Borax and glycerine are often efficacious in mild cases 
of scaly eruptions and for the rash that summer heat brings 
out on the thighs, abdomen, and neck, or wherever the pres- 
sure of clothing irritates and chafes. This is the best prepa- 
ration : 

FOR SUMMER RASH. 

Elder-flower water 7 ounces 

Glycerine i ounce 

Borax 3^ drachm 

Apply night and morning, and during the day, if irritation 
requires. 

For all eruptive conditions and symptoms there is some- 
times a stage when a course of sarsaparilla will aid the cure; 
but diet and exercise are of utmost importance, — nourish- 
ing food, without stimulating condiments. Ignoring this 
necessity, internal medicines will but aggravate the symp- 
toms. Don't believe any one who tells you that driving a 
humor out on the skin is doing good. That should not be 
the outlet. Iodide of lime in small doses for a few days will 
cure a tendency to the recurrence of boils, and the applica- 
tion of a salve made of one part of red oxide of mercury to 
100 parts of lanoline is said to avert them. The diet should 
be sparing; fruit freely eaten, and an abundance of pure 
water in which a little fresh lemon-juice has been mixed 
drunk an hour before meals, and between them. The hot- 
water treatment is also beneficial; and, in fact, if made 
habitual, would do much to keep people in health. A mild 



l8o THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

laxative also is indicated, and the fig-and-senna paste — 
see Chapter III. — is an excellent one. A laxative powder 
prescribed by the famous French physician, the late Dr. 
Dujardin-Beaumetz, is this : 

LAXATIVE POWDER. 

Cream of tartar 1 1 grains 

Powdered senna-pods 2 drachms 

Powdered aniseed i drachm 

Powdered fennel i drachm 

Powdered liquorice-root 2>< drachms 

Washed sulphur 2 drachms 

Sugar I ounce 

Mix thoroughly, and take a dessert-spoonful at night. 

Occasional doses, also, of mild saline aperients are effi- 
cient aids to Nature's work in the treatment of all eruptive 
troubles. Mineral waters, or a course of '' salts," — Epsom, 
Rochelle, and Carlsbad, — and cream of tartar or phosphate 
of soda, or sulphur combined with cream of tartar, are used 
for the purpose. But extreme caution should be observed 
in applying externally anything of a saline nature to a dis- 
ordered skin. In nine cases out of ten sea-baths greatly 
aggravate the trouble, yet they are often recommended ! 

Some obstinate cutaneous affections resent the applica- 
tion of w^ater, but yield to a course of hot milk baths. Let 
the milk scald, but not boil, as that robs it of its heaUng vir- 
tue'; use it as hot as it can be borne, applying freely with 
antiseptic gauze or immaculately clean, fine linen, and let 
the milk dry on. Indurated red blotches, and even chronic 
eczema, have been cured after a few months of this treat- 
ment ; of course, attended by every care in regulating the 
daily life that could aid in establishing the .general health. 

With reference to nervous excitement, women must re- 
member that hurry and worry are two baneful forms to 
which they are most prone. They are poisons. I have 
shown how disastrously they affect internal organs ; and 



DISORDERS OF THE NOSE. l8l 

they are the constant irritants which give to some skin- 
troubles their obstinate character. 

Any disorder of the nose is usually both painful and mor- 
tifying. Poor circulation, disturbances of the alimentary 
canal, inveterate constipation, and constrictions .of any sort 
whatsoever, are the frequent excitants of the trouble ; and 
outward applications can have no effect till these are cor- 
rected. An irritated, contorted, suffering great toe may 
cause distended veins in the nose ; habitual cold teet are 
provocative ; and it is the penalty for abuse of alcoholic 
stimulants and indulgence in too rich foods. And that very 
common derangement, acidity of the stomach, finds ready 
sympathy in the nose, which causes a responsive but very 
unbecoming throb. Continued drinking of hot water may 
reHeve this trouble, but when it is acute, dissolve a half- 
teaspoonful of sulphate of soda in a half-tumbler of hot 
water and drink an hour before breakfast ; repeat the dose 
in thirty minutes. 

Spearmint tea, too, has sovereign virtue as a remedy for 
disorders of digestion, and with some constitutions acts as 
a specific. When this inflamed condition with dilated capil- 
laries, acne rosacea, — called by the French la couperose, — is 
just beginning. Dr. Vigier commends the following lotion : 

Sulphate of potassium i gramme 

Tincture of benzoin i gramme 

Rose-water 50 grammes 

Distilled water 50 grammes 

Bathe the afifected parts frequently through the day, and 
massage with cold cream or vaseline at night. Never bathe 
with cold water. 

For the chronic state of couperose, M. Andre-Valdes ad- 
vises, after bathing in tepid water, friction with this pomade : 

Precipitate of sulphur 8 grammes 

Pure glycerine 8 grammes 

Precipitated chalk 8 grammes 

Cherry-laurel water 8 grammes 

Alcohol (rectified) 8 grammes 



t82 the woman beautiful. 

A mask of gutta-percha is advised to be worn at night; 
a rigorously abstemious diet is insisted upon ; and alkaUne 
waters and herb drinks commended. 

For dilated veins, Mme. Pokitonoff prescribes the follow- 
ing lotion : 

GLYCERINATED MALLOWS. 

Eau de guimauve (mallows) 200 grammes 

Benzoate of soda 5 grammes 

Glycerine 20 grammes 

Alcohol 10 grammes 

And for enlargement and redness of the nose this is pro- 
nounced excellent : , 

FOR RED NOSE. 

Muriate of ammonia i drachm 

Tannic acid J/^ drachm 

Glycerine , 2 ounces 

Rose-water 3 ounces 

Dissolve the muriate and acid in the glycerine, then add 
the water.' Saturate a piece of absorbent cotton with the 
lotion, and bind on the nose nightly until a cure results. 
Bathe with the mallows lotion as often during the day as 
convenient, and bind on at night in the same manner. 

With cleanliness and nourishment, and a measure of re- 
spect for the muscles of the face and its delicate and so 
sensitive nerves that will control needless and unlovely 
grimacing, the evil day when wrinkles glare mockingly at 
a woman from her mirror can be almost indefinitely post- 
poned. If premature ones have asserted themselves the 
treatment already outlined will do much to eradicate them : 
the massage with some emollient being the most efficacious 
means. Yet there are other specifics which apply directly 
to these terrors of woman. 

A French grande dame who declares wrinkles are an 
appendage of the negligent, to whom they should be left, 



WRINKLES : THEIR CAUSE AND REMOVAL. 183 

recommends the " water of youth " as a preventive till an 
advanced age. It is made by boiling three ounces of pearl 
barley in a pint of water till the gluten is extracted; strain, 
and add twenty-five drops of tincture of benzoin. Wash 
with the barley-water night and morning. If wrinkles have 
already begun to line the face the barley-water can be ably 
assisted with this : 

POMADE OF HEBE. 

Juice of lily-bulbs 60 grammes 

Honey 15 grammes 

White wax 30 grammes 

Rose-water 12 grammes 

Melt the wax and honey together; add the juice to the 
rose-water, and stir gradually into the wax. Apply a little 
every other night. 

A famous French lotion which is credited with great 
virtue in removing wrinkles by strengthening and contract- 
ing the relaxed tissues is this : 

EAU DE CIRCE. 

Powdered incense (Olibanum) 32 grains 

Powdered benzoin 32 grains 

Powdered gum arabic 32 grains 

Powdered sweet almonds 48 grains 

Ground cloves , 16 grains 

Ground nutmeg^. 16 grains 

Alcohol (deodorized) 8 ounces 



Dissolve the first three in the alcohol; then add the spices 
and almond flour. Let it stand for forty-eight hours, 
agitating several times; add an ounce and a half of pure 
rose-water, then filter through porous paper. Wet the face 
with it frequently, and if need be, for obstinate wrinkles or 
extreme flabbiness, bind on compresses wet in the lotion. 

Still another, commended for ^hose premature wrinkles 



184 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

which sickness or sorrow stamp upon some faces, is the fol- 
lowing: 

FOR PREMATURE WRINKLES. 

Alum 60 grains 

Almond milk (thick) i^ ounces 

Rose-water 6 ounces 

Dissolve the alum in the rose-water, then pour gently into 
the almond milk with constant agitation. 

A moyen-dge pomade pronounced excellent is similar to 
Hebe's, only it doubles the honey and omits the rose-water; 
and a curious cosmetic " secret " handed down from that 
distant age concerns a novel process, which is said to 
freshen and tone up the skin and remove crow's feet: Heat 
a shovel red-hot and throw upon it a pinch of powdered 
myrrh; receive the fumes upon the face by enveloping the 
head in a large towxl, and stretching one end out over the 
shovel. Repeat this process three times; then heat the 
shovel still again, and sprinkle over it, with* a vaporizer, a 
little white wine. Let this vapor also penetrate the face skin, 
and repeat three times. Modern ingenuity will find some- 
thing more convenient than the shovel; a brazier and a 
metal plate over red-hot coals or an alcohol burner, would 
answer. The treatment is certainly agreeable, and doubt- 
less would be beneficial. 

The good dames of the moyen-dge were quite as much 
concerned about the preservation of their complexion as 
any of Eve's daughters have ever been since. Their popular 
bleach for the skin upon which sun and wind had left their 
browning touch was made by boiling a handful of parsley in 
a quart of distilled water; after filtering this, fifteen grains 
each of powdered alum, pulverized camphor, and pow-dered 
borax are dissolved in the parsley-water. To be shaken and 
used twice a day. A more effective way to add the camphor 
would be to make a julep first, formula for which is given 
in Chapter VHL, as camphor does not readily yield its 
virtue to water. 



SOME MOYEN-AGE COSMETICS. 1 85 

From the inoycn-agc still-room, which was the chatelaine's 
sanctum in the castles and manor-houses of that period, 
comes yet another curious formula for a wonderful artifice 
that lends the dazzling bloom of health to the pallid com- 
plexion. '' Paint ? " Oh, no, perish the thought ! Just a 
simple Httle vegetable concoction : 



MOYEN-AGE INVIGORANT. 

White-wine vinegar i pint 

Honey 3 ounces 

Isinglass i ^ ounces 

Nutmeg I ounce 

Red sandalwood (shredded) >^ drachm 

Put all together in a bain-marie and let the mixture sim- 
mer for a half-hour over a slow fire, without coming to a 
boil. Strain or filter. Apply after giving the skin a 
cleansing bath with warm water and almond meal or a little 
soap. Let the lotion dry upon the skin. Do not leave on at 
night. 

The various astringent lotions and the Cream of Pond 
Lilies and Elder-Flower Cream are the cosmetics for an oily 
skin and for enlarged pores; of course, in connection with 
the cleansing warm or hot bath at night. A few drops of 
benzoin in the morning bath-water will aid the cure, and 
should the face require cleansing during the day, it should 
be done with Hungary Water, or some of the astringent 
lotions. Here are two more formulae for these which are 
excellent: 

AROMATIC LAIT VIRGINAL. 

Rose-water i^ pints 

Tincture of myrrh 10 grammes 

Tincture of opoponax 10 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin 10 grammes 

Essence of lemon 4 grammes 

Tincture of quillaya, enough to make an emulsion. 



lS6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

LAIT VIRGINAL AXTISEPTIOUE. 

Lilac-flower water i pint 

Alcohol 90% 8 ounces 

Glycerine 5 ounces 

Sweet almonds (powderedj 4 ounces 

Salicylic acid ^ ounce 

Triturate the almonds in the perfumed water; dissolve 
the acid in the alcohol, then add the glycerine, agitate till 
thoroughly mingled, then pour very slowly into the emul- 
sion, stirring constantly. For other perfumed waters and 
toilet vinegars see the next chapter. 

Such facial blemishes as moles, moth or liver spots, and 
other discolorations must be treated according to their spe- 
cific character. Electricity, if skillfully applied, is the safest 
and most effectual remedy when they are of a serious or 
chronic nature. A fleshy mole which stands out promi- 
nently on face or neck can be removed by tying it closely, 
as near the root as possible, with a silk thread or a hair. 
This ligature stops the supply of nutriment, and in a few 
days the mole will shrivel, turn black and drop off, leaving 
almost no scar. It should not be picked or irritated. When 
discolorations are of a trivial or superficial character, even 
of long standing, the daily use of the glycerinated solution 
of mercury or Gowland's Lotion will blanch and sometimes 
entirely remove them, and the Freckle Specific is also ex- 
cellent. Other remedies are : 



1. Chlorate of potassium 30 grains 

Rose-water 8 ounces 

Or: 

2, Vaseline 50 grammes 

Chrysophanic acid ^ gramme 



TREATMENT OF MOLES AND MOTH PATCHES. 187 

Or: 

3. Lanoline 20 grammes 

Vaseline 20 grammes 

Peroxid of hydrogen 10 grammes 

The first one is to be applied with a bit of antiseptic gauze 
or cotton, or even with a camel's-hair brush, to the dis- 
colorations, night and morning, for two days. In using the 
second care must be exercised to protect the eyes from the 
vapor of the acid. Apply to the moth-patches in the morn- 
ing and wipe off with a bit of antiseptic gauze at night. If 
desquamation does not begin in five or six days, repeat the 
application, unless the skin is too sensitive to bear it. The 
last may be appHed to the spots only, or to the entire face 
when the skin is deeply browned from a summer's exposure 
on the seashore. 

CRISTIANI'S MOLE SALVE. 

Diachylon plaster V^ ounce 

Tartar emetic i draxrhm 

Croton oil 5 drops 

The plaster should be spread the exact size of the mole, 
and kept on till the mole suppurates, then remove and let 
heal. 

*' Shirley Dare " says that the cure of cures for moles, 
pure and simple, is salicylic acid moistened with alcohol or 
glycerine and bound upon the mole for a half-hour. The 
acid eats away the morbid tissue, leaving it less in size when 
healed, and three applications usuaUy eradicate it. From a 
last-century beauty-book the same writer culled this home 
method of preparing salicyhc acid : 

" Take black-birch leaves and the inside bark that grows 
next the wood, an ounce of each, bruise them coarsely, and 
boil them in a half-pint of white wine and a pint of spring 
water till the liquor is very strong of them." When strained 
it is ready for use, and was directed to be applied warm. 



l88 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

It was commended to wash the ulcers left by small-pox, to 
be followed by some soothing ointment ; and also for scurf 
and itching inflammations. 

A ncevus, commonly called birth-mark, is a dilatation of 
small blood-vessels and maybe arterial, venous, or capillary. 
It is not safe to attempt home treatment for anything of 
this nature larger than a pea. For such minor blemishes 
this is effective : Cover the surrounding skin with vaseline 
or lard, then apply a large drop of nitric or hydrochloric 
acid to the rmvus. Over the scab which will form lay the 
following paste : 



Carbonate of bismuth., 
Glycerine , 

Extract of belladonna... 
Dilute hydrocyanic acid, 



Equal 
parts. 



The acid will cause some pain, but it is the most effectual 
method of removal. After three days the paste may be 
gently washed off with warm water, and a little of the fol- 
lowing cream rubbed thoroughly into the eschar. Apply it 
thickly afterwards and cover with a piece of court-plaster. 

Sweet cream i drachm 

White wax 2 drachms 

Glycerine i drachm 

Spermaceti i drachm 

Let the scab fall off without interference, and if the sur- 
face is still tender, continue the use of the cream. A harm- 
less paint which may be used to conceal noevi is made by 
this formula: 

Wood charcoal yi drachm 

Carmine ^ drachm 

Chalk 5 drachms 

Glycerine i^ drachms 

Flexible collodion 4 drachms 

Rectified spirits i drachm 



RELIEF AND REMOVAL OF SERIOUS BLEMISHES. 189 

The color can be varied by relative amounts of chalk, 
carbon, and carmine. Another method is to vv^et the ncevus, 
powder it white, and then apply a layer of flexible collodion, 
afterwards using flesh-colored powder over the whole face. 

Always chief among cosmetic lotions, but one extremely 
dangerous to use, unless you are certain of the scrupulous 
care and honesty with which it is compounded, is Aqua 
Cypria, or Eau dc rose minerale. These are attractive names 
under which that dangerous, but to women fascinating, 
poison, arsenic, masquerades. Cooley says concerning it : 
" Always an objectionable preparation, on account of 
involving the use of a dangerous and insidious poison, it 
becomes doubly so when carelessly or clumsily manufac- 
tured as a secret or ' contraband ' article." It is credited 
with a marvellous property in softening and whitening the 
skin; and when compounded by the following formula is 
a very elegant and effective lotion which is perfectly harm- 
less for external use. I must, at the same time, caution all 
women against taking any preparation of arsenic internally 
except under the advice of a physician. The harm wrought 
by it when the system does not require it is incalculable : 

ARSENICAL COSMETIC LOTION. 

Arsenious acid (finely powdered) 4 grains 

Pure rose-water .* i ounce 

Glycerine (Price's) i ounce 

Distilled water Y^ pint 

The water is brought to a boiling point and then poured 
over the arsenic in a jug or bowl; promote solution by stir- 
ring some time with a glass or ivory rod. After repose, 
when perfectly cold, pour off the clear solution, exercising 
care not to disturb any sediment or undissolved portion of 
the acid, which must be thrown away. Add the rose-water 
and glycerine to the clear liquid, and after thorough mix- 
ture by agitation, add sufflcient cold distilled or soft water 
to measure exactly one pint. It should be put into five- or 



190 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

six-ounce bottles, and marked " poison " distinctly in red 
ink. If but one bottle is left out, it contains such an in- 
finitessimal portion of the arsenic that no serious accident 
could happen. In fact, nothing less than the whole quan- 
tity would be a fatal dose. It is apphed Hke Gowiand's 
Lotion, once or twice a day to the clean skin. Besides 
rendering the skin beautifully transparent and delicate, re- 
moving freckles, and healing minor eruptions, it is even 
credited with '' improving the health of consumptive and 
scorbutic persons." I cannot vouch for these virtues, how^- 
ever, and it is suggested that they are greatly overrated. 

I believe the day is not far distant when artificial 
make-up, the inaquillage of the French, will be left to the 
stage and a certain class of women w^ho announce their 
" calling " by its use. Could respectable w^omen but grasp 
the thought in ah its clearness, that to strangers their ow^n 
social position appears more than dubious when they join 
the " painted and bedizened " sisterhood, they would not 
hesitate long about risking such mis judgment, but fling the 
paint and rouge pots far away, and devote themselves 
sedulously to the recovery of a naturally beautiful skin. 

That the task would be attended with some difficulty, 
goes without saying. But the longer the pernicious prac- 
tice is continued the harder it will be, for the inevitable 
penalty for the constant use of the injurious substances 
which enter into all these compounds is, that the skin even 
in youth becomes more draw^n, wrinkled, and sallow^ than it 
would be in extreme age if given hygienic care. It must, 
indeed, have reached a sad state though, to be beyond re- 
covery, given time and diligent care; and the earlier the 
reform the sooner the cure. 

Ahvays, the beauties of Oriental hareriis have been de- 
voted to cosmetic arts, but while they have frankly adopted 
certain artificial methods of enhancing their attractions, 
they have always had too much regard for the preservation 
of their beauty to jeopardize it by coating their skins with 



EVILS OF PAINTS AND ROUGE. I9I 

the deleterious enamels and paints which their Occidental 
sisters have used. They make an effective rouge from the 
petals of damask roses macerated in white-wine vinegar. 
Bright crimson silk dipped in spirits of wine and rubbed 
upon the cheeks, chin, and ears is said to be a safe and 
harmless rouge that defies detection. That, however, de- 
pends upon the hand that applies it. It requires all the 
skill of a portrait-painter — a deft touch with the fingers and 
a skillful eye — to make up so that you impose upon even 
the most indifferent eye. And any make-up which is not 
discreetly and artistically managed is vulgar in the extreme. 

Of course, I know that there is a large class of incor- 
rigibles who cannot be won over to see the lasting advan- 
tage of Nature's method of making a beautiful, translucent 
skin; and, therefore, I will point out the methods of at- 
tempting an imitation of her work which are least harmful. 
I have already shown that there are times and occasions 
when it is an advantage to protect the skin. And, further 
than this, it is always a woman's duty to look her best; 
sometimes to appear well when she is ill ;' and it is a harm- 
less subterfuge if, to accomplish this pleasing deception, the 
pallid countenance for a few hours takes on the blush of 
health and strength. This can be done by adding just a 
soupgon of rouge after the Sultana Balm and Poudre 
d' Amour, or by using the Moycn-dge Invigorant. 

When sitting for a photograph, also, it is very important 
that the fairest skin, if it have any discolorations upon it, 
be carefully powdered or made up. The lightest yellow 
freckles will develop in a photograph with startling in- 
tensity. A mixture of a little oxide of zinc and glycerine, 
thinned with rose-water to the consistency of cream, is com- 
mended for this use; but any good cream-and-powder 
make-up would suffice. Let one rule be unvarying in all 
make-up: The skin must be rubbed with pure white vasel- 
ine, cold cream, or oil, before any powder, rouge, or liquid 
paint is applied. This is well understood in all stage 



192 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

make-up, and it protects the skin in a degree from the in- 
jurious effects of the maquillage. 

It is vastly important that all powders be fresh; even 
old, stale starch, whether potato, rice, or corn, is irritating 
and corroding Talcum, which is the powder of Blanc 
Francaise, is as harmless as any adherent powder. Owing 
to its unctuous nature and its impalpable fineness it is al- 
most imperceptible; it is also cooling and it does not 
change color. Blanc Perlc Liqiiidc is made of bismuth, and 
it changes color when left on the skin any length of time, 
first growing yellow^ and gradually darkening into a black 
sulphur mixture. Compounds containing lead turn blue 
after long exposure to sunlight; and in our modern highly 
chemicalized atmosphere, women's made-up faces have 
been known to take on the most uncanny appearance, due to 
the chemical change w^hich their enamel or powder has un- 
dergone. This should be sufficient reason to induce women 
to shun their use. All the skin-balms and creams called 
" milk-of-roses," '' cream of roses," " almond-blanch," etc., 
usually contain sugar of lead or Goulard's extract as their 
active ingredient, and are dangerous. 

It is said that pure hydrate of alumina (or even kaolin) 
agitated in distilled w^ater makes a perfectly harmless but 
effective skin cosmetic, being a powerful detergent and 
blancher, without causing the least irritation. The follow- 
ing formula is said to be essentially the same as the well- 
known 



MAGNOLIA BALM. 

Pure oxide of zinc i ounce 

Glycerine i drachm 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

Essence of roses 15 drops 



To be shaken, and applied wdth antiseptic gauze. 



SOME HARMLESS EXPEDIENTS. 1 93 

VIOLET BALM. 

Pure oxide of zinc 4 drachms 

Glycerine 2 drachms 

Orange-flower water 2 drachms 

Tincture of benzoin 10 drops 

Essence of violets 15 drops 

Dissolve the zinc in just enough of the orange-flower 
water to cover it, then add the tincture to the glycerine, and 
the remainder of the perfumed water; when thoroughly in- 
corporated stir into the zinc, and add the essence. Tint 
with a few drops of ox blood, or a few grains of carmine. 
Shake before using. A little veloutine rubbed into the skin 
after it will increase the effect. 

Genuine rouge is said to be the least injurious of all the 
substances employed in maqiiillage. It is obtained from a 
plant, the saf-fiower, — carthanious tinctorius, — grown in 
Spain, Egypt, and the Levant ; but it is so expensive that its 
use is quite restricted. Carmine, which comes next, has a 
mxost exquisite color, but its constant and long-continued 
use dries and yellows the skin, much as bismuth does. It 
is prepared from cochineal, the operation requiring much 
dexterity and patience, and its success depending upon at- 
mospheric conditions. The test of its purity is that it is 
entirely soluble in liquor of ammonia. 

Both these substances are used as dry powders, in po- 
mades, and in liquid form. Vermillion, which is a prepara- 
tion of sulphate of mercury, is an active poison. The utmost 
care is required in matching the shade of the rouge to the 
tint of the complexion. " Some cheeks have a wine-Hke, 
purplish glow ; others a transparent saffron tinge, like yel- 
lowish-pink porcelain; others still have clear, pale carmine; 
others a faint brown that is as much richer than the snow 
and carmine of the pure blonde as a tinted crystal is finer 
than a colorless one; but the rarest of all is that suffused 
tint like apple-blossoms." Therefore, to approach the cun- 
ning of Nature's endless variety, it is necessary to modify 



194 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



the tint of rouge by adding a trace of indigo for the deep 
rose-crimson, or a httle pale yellow for soft tints, and the 
merest soupgon of brown for the creamy rich brune com- 
plexion. After you have obtained the exact tinge, it is 
necessary to prepare three shades of it, by adding a Httle of 
all the ingredients but the colors to different portions. Tal- 
cum powder is the usual dilutant in a simple mixture. 
Rouge pomades and liquid rouge are preferable to the dry 
sorts; but here are formulas for different ones : 

DEVOUX FRENCH ROUGE. 

Carmine Yz drachm 

Oil of almonds i drachm 

French chalk 2 ounces 

Mix thoroughly ; the oil is absorbed by the chalk and car- 
mine, leaving it a dry powder, but adhesive. Sift through 
silk bolting-cloth. 

BLOOM OF ROSES. 

Strong liquid ammonia ^ ounce 

Finest carmine % ounce 

Rose-water i pint 

Extract of rose, triple ^ ounce 

Put the carmine in a bottle and pour the ammonia over 
it ; let stand two days with occasional agitation ; then add 
the rose-water and extract. Let it stand a week before 
using. If the carmine be pure, there will be no precipitate. 

Pure rouge — carthamine — dissolved in alcohol and acidu- 
lated with a little acetic acid is pronounced " very rich." 

ROUGE D'ORIENT. 

Lavender vinegar 100 grammes 

Spermaceti 10 grammes 

Rouge 6 grammes 

Powdered talcum. , , .,,».,... 15 grammes 

Mix and filter. 



THE FINE ART OF FACE-PAINTING. I95 

CARMINE PASTE. 

Carmine 2 grammes 

Oil of sweet almonds 10 grammes 

Extract of rose 5 grammes 

White wax. 5 grammes 

Stir the substances together and leave to macerate for 
eight days, — in a warm place ; then beat to a smooth paste. 
This is especially commended for evening use. An old 
formula for a so-called " harmless cosmetic " is this : 

ALMOND BLOOM. 

Brazil-dust i ounce 

Water 3 pints 

Boil, strain, and add 

Isinglass 6 drachms 

Cochineal 2 drachms 

Borax 3 drachms 

Alum ^. I ounce 

Boil again and strain through a fine cloth. 
A French liquid-rouge which is also said to be innocuous, 
and is easily made at home in the strawberry season, is this : 

STRAWBERRY FOAM. 

Fresh ripe strawberries 3 quarts 

Distilled water i pint 

Place in a fruit-jar and set that in a saucepan of water 
over a slow fire to boil for two hours. Strain through very 
fine hair-sieve. When cold add : 

Deodorized alcohol 12 ounces 

Best Russian isinglass (dissolved) 30 grains 

Pure carmine 15 grains 

Otto of roses 4 drops 

Oil of neroli 2 drops 



196 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Keep in the dark, closeh" stoppered, and in a cool place. 
All these hquid rouges are to be applied \s-itli a bit of ab- 
sorbent cotton. 

ROUGE AU XATURZL. 

Pure brandy ; pint 

Benzoin j ounce 

Red sandal-wood i ounce 

Brazil-wood Ji ounce 

Alum >i ounce 

Pur all together in a bottle, cork tightlj^; agitate thor- 
oughly once daily. After ten days or a fortnight, decant and 
use. This is said to defy detection when apphed Ughtly to 
the cheeks. It is necessar\ , however, the moment the first 
touch of artificial color is given to the face to bring up the 
adjacent features to harmonize with one another. A start- 
lingly white nose cuts the face in two ; so a touch of rouge, 
deftly blended, is needed on the nostrils ; if the nose be large, 
a ver\^ httle on the sides w-ill lessen its prominence. The 
chin, and the lobes and edges of the ears, too, must be 
touched with the rouge: ver} deUcately, and in a rotar\' 
motion which will make streaks impossible and leave no 
edges. The pure extract of China rose-leaf, in powder, is 
said to give a ver} dehcate and loveh' tint. 

BLEU VEGETAL. 

Venetian chalk 5 ounces 

Mediylene blue 3- - drachms 

Gum acacia 2 drachms 

^lix the powders with sufficient water to form a mass 
that can be rolled into sticks. This is used to mark blue 
veins which a coating of balms or paints has concealed. It 
requires some dexterity to apply in a natural manner. 
Breathe upon one of the sticks and rub it on the inside of 
a white glove, then trace the vein with the kid. It could be 
done more deftly with a Japanese paint-brush. 



FOOLISH WHIMS AND FADS. I97 

A liquid preparation for the same purpose is this : 

LIQUID BLUE PAINT. 

Solution of Victoria blue 100 grammes 

Gum arabic 25 grammes 

Orange-flower water 250 granimes 

Rose-water 125 grammes 

Warm the rose-water sHghtly and dissolve in it the gum 
arabic ; then add the other ingredients, and agitate till 
thoroughly mingled. 

I cannot commend any of the pastes or masks advised 
for night wear. The pastes, especially, are in their very 
nature calculated to bring on the evil's we are trying to com- 
bat, — they constrict the pores and shut in the sebaceous 
secretions ; in fact, encourage that very laziness of the skin 
which produces pimples and blotches. The cotton mask 
soaked in equal parts of glycerine and water is a fomenta- 
tion. I have known it to be used for two months with ab- 
solutely no efifect, but it might, while drawing out the natu- 
ral secretions, irritate to the point of pimples as does croton 
oil. A wet bandage kept bound about the arm or leg has 
been known to draw to the part so covered a lively erup- 
tion which drained off all the impurities seeking an outlet 
before on the face. The bandage is kept on for a few weeks 
or months, as the case may be, till the rash disappears and 
the part is entirely healed. 

Look with a large measure of skeptical tolerance on the 
absurd directions and warnings which, from time to time, 
are spread broadcast as to certain methods of doing things, 
and which are announced as cure-alls, and reforms from 
time-honored errors. Of this sort is the grave caution not 
to bend the face over the wash-bowl while bathing it be- 
cause of the serious tendency to cause the muscles to droop. 
If you will bring your mother-wit to bear on this abstruse 
problem, you will decide that slight as the movement must 
be, even with the most relaxed and flabby condition, it is 



IpS THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

in a direction away from the normal droop ; hence, so far 
so good. But the position is maintained for so short a time 
that its eltect is really ;n7. The evil result of the direction is 
this : Those docile sheep who follow any leader who pre- 
sents himself, never realizing the purpose for which God 
endowed them with intelligence, will adopt it, and hence- 
forth carefully perform their ablutions with a damp wash- 
cloth. The amount of water needed to perfectly cleanse the 
face could not be applied to it in an upright position with- 
out drenching every thread of clothing on one. 

The harrowing picture, too. that is drawn of the effect 
of using hot water on the face is based upon entirely false 
premises. It is compared, by one who stands high in his 
profession, to the laundress's poor water-soaked hands that 
have been nearly parboiled by their hours of immersion in 
hot suds ; while as an actual fact the face that is habituated 
to its cleansing hot bath, never lasting longer than five 
minutes, is scarcely flushed by it. I know of no other agent 
so effective in aiding the whole structure of the skin to per- 
form its work in the most normal, healthful, and beautiful 
manner ; and far from rendering it sensitive, it has the re- 
verse tendency. 

The woman or girl who earnestly tries to preser^^e a good 
complexion, or who is harassed by a poor one. may take 
this comfort to her soul : patience and perseverance in fol- 
lowing hygienic laws will bring their reward as surely as 
light follows darkness. The beauty of texture which throbs 
with the life it veils but dimly is the only true beauty, and 
the only lasting one. and this is yours if you work for it. 




QUEEN LOUISE OF PRUSSIA. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE BATHS OF LUXURY AND OF HYGIENE. 

" I will go wash; 
And when my face is fair, you shall perceive 
Whether I blush or no." 

" I want to help you to grow as beautiful as God meant you to 
be when he thought of you first." 

" Till taught by pain, 
Men really know not what good water's worth." 

" Nowhere else in the world has the giant of material 
progress worn such huge, seven-league, boots " as in this 
truly great, but still crudely young. Republic of ours. But 
with all our progress, we have been culpably blind and 
negligent concerning certain fundamental principles which 
must underlie every fair structure that is building for all 
time. 

The health of a nation, physical, mental, and moral, is 
its greatest wealth; but in our haste to grasp the glittering 
bauble of material riches, we have squandered these as reck- 
lessly as a child tosses the sands upon the seashore. The 
enormous fortunes accumulated by a few have enabled these 
lucky mortals unblighted by Saturn — who form, perhaps, 
the seventieth part of our teeming millions, floating buoy- 
antly on top of the struggling, striving multitude — to sur- 
round themselves with everything that science and inven- 
tion can furnish for the perfection of healthful living as well 
as its luxury. 

199 



200 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The last is of minor consideration in this argument, being 
much a matter of taste, and too often perverted into a 
menace to health instead of an advantage. In certain noble 
hands its best fruits are shared with all, and it becomes an 
invaluable means of elevating the masses, improving their 
taste, and bringing beauty into their lives, as when collec- 
tions of priceless works of art are made accessible to the 
public. Therefore, the one overwhelming advantage which 
the floating seventieth have over the multitude is, their 
ability to surround themselves with the most absolutely 
perfect sanitary conditions. 

These conditions, in a certain measure, at least, a wise 
government should provide free for its less favored people 
who are unable to pay for them; and the return, in im- 
proved health and morality and consequent decrease in 
crime, would be a hundredfold. We have been disgrace- 
fully negligent in the matter of free public baths, and the 
good which would be accomplished by 'the establishment 
of these in every town and city it would be impossible to 
overestimate. \Mien we consider the condition of the 
*' great unwashed," the actual suffering in nervous irri- 
tability and countless bodily tortures from the want of 
cleanliness alone, the wonder is they are as patient, — that 
reckless, hasty crimes, vicious work of a moment's mad 
self-abandonment, are not more frequent! 

The health, light-heartedness, and happiness of the 
Japanese are doubtless due in no small measure to their 
public baths, which make it possible for every man, woman, 
and child to enjoy a daily plunge. It would be a "' retort 
courteous " if some of those so-called " barbarous " nations, 
to which in our arrogant pride of superior morality we 
send missionaries, would come here and start a public-bath 
crusade. That would perhaps turn a light upon us by which 
we could ''see oursel's as others see us," and rouse pub- 
lic interest to remove this blot upon our civiHzation. " The 
soul and mind cabined within the confines of a dirtv skin 



THE FIRST VAPOR-BATHS. 20l 

can no more exercise their god-like prerogatives of high- 
est reason and activity than a prisoner in a felon's cell can 
exercise his Hmbs with the vigor and agility of a free man. 
Healthy imagination thus becomes dormant or extin- 
guished, and conscience itself obtunded or degraded into 
vice." 

The instinct to bathe if opportunity offers is implanted 
in every human being, and only in false and unnatural 
modes of life are people deprived of it; their instincts be- 
coming, at last, so perverted that they are as afraid of 
the external use of water as of inhaling fresh air. Even 
artificial baths are not unknown among most semi-civilized 
races; and our Indian tribes when the first white men came 
to this country, and even in this century when they roamed 
undisturbed in the Great West, built a sort of crude vapor- 
bath near the banks of streams. 

They were rude excavations or a sort of bee-hive built of 
mud and sticks, having a small circular opening in the top 
for entrance. The bathers went in company, taking with 
them heated stones and jugs of water.' The stones were 
sprinkled with water till the bath was filled with vapor. 
After profuse sweating was induced, the bathers plunged 
into the cold stream; and sometimes they returned for a 
second vapor-bath. William Penn describes such baths as 
used by the Indians to cure fevers and colds, one bath being 
sufBcient to restore the patient. 

Thermal springs no doubt gave to primitive man the 
first hint of the physical luxury and comfort of the warm 
bath; and when Nature failed to supply him with this, his 
ingenuity came to his aid and suggested the heated stone 
and vaporization with water; which, Erasmus Wilson says, 
furnished the original idea for the hot-air and hot-vapor 
baths. 

The ancient Jews had thermal baths that were renowned 
for their curative virtues ; and those near the city of Tiberias 
still exist and have lost nothing of their reputation; though, 



202 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of the once famous city not a stone remains upon another. 
We have greater knowledge on the subject of the therapeu- 
tic value of baths and concerning the hygienic regulations 
of all the details of life than has, before, at any one time in 
the history of the Avorld, been at the service of mankind; 
and yet we are deplorably backward in applying this knowl- 
edge and in seizing the enormous benefits which should be 
made the common enjoyment and privilege of all. 

Before the Christian Era the Greeks and the Romans 
revelled in their public baths. The hot-air bath of the 
Greeks was in all essential particulars very like our modern 
Turkish baths, and the Romans but copied it, with increas- 
ing luxury as the centuries rolled on, till we find Seneca 
moralizing upon their extravagant splendor: "We have 
come to that pitch of luxury that we disdain to tread upon 
anything but precious stones." 

In the days of Rome's greatest wealth and power every 
succeeding Emperor tried to eclipse the glory of his pred- 
ecessor and win the plaudits of the Roman mob, by the 
magnificence of the baths he erected. Thus, the Baths of 
Titus, where that treasure of the Vatican, the Laocoon, was 
discovered, were far exceeded in sumptuous appointments 
and in extent by those of Caracalla. The whole enclosure 
for these w^as a mile in circumference, on the Avertine 
Mount, and included a vast congeries of everything for the 
pleasure and health of man; gardens, gymnasium, theatres, 
temples, lecture-halls for the instruction of youth, and free 
libraries. In the tJiennce, sixteen hundred persons could 
bathe at the same time ; some authorities assert that the 
great swimming bath could accommodate three thousand. 
But the Baths of Diocletian marked the apex of sumptuous 
luxury, and exceeded all others in their vast extent, there 
being accommodation for three thousand six hundred 
bathers at once. The utmost expression of modern splendor 
in mosaic- and marble-inlaid walls and floors does not ex- 
ceed, if it even equals, that of these ancient baths, which 



ANCIENT ROMAN BATHS. 20$ 

were further beautified by marble and bronze statuary, col- 
umns, vases, and every ornament that the art of the time 
could devise. Silver pipes conveyed the hot water into the 
great marble basins. 

By the close of the third century a.d., there were eleven 
of these immense public thermae and nine hundred and 
twenty-six smaller ones, which were business enterprises, 
so a small fee was charged for their use. In addition to 
this, most private houses had their own baths, and those of 
the wealthy surpassed even the public ones in luxurious 
appointments. 

Authorities differ as to whether the great baths were ab- 
solutely free or not ; but none mention more than a nominal 
charge, a small copper coin of about a farthing's worth, as 
giving to the poorest plebeian in Rome the same freedom 
of their privileges enjoyed by the wealthiest patrician. They 
were conducted like vast clubs, with an immense retinue of 
slaves and servants; and thousands of the Roman youth 
frittered away their days in these magnificent halls, where 
every amusement and pastime could be' enjoyed. That in 
time their luxury, enticement, and effeminacy demoralized 
and degraded the people, and hastened the decline of the 
Empire, there is not a question. It is the invariable result 
of all excess. 

In the early days of the public baths, when bodily health 
and cleanliness was their sole purpose, it was one of the 
duties of the sediles of Rome to inspect them and see that 
they were kept clean and at a proper temperature ; and in 
those days their hygienic influence upon the welfare of the 
people was justly appreciated. Wherever the arms of Rome 
were carried, there baths were constructed for the sanitary 
benefit of the soldiers. Remains of these baths can be seen 
in the Palais des Thcrmes, — Hotel de Cluny, — Paris, and in 
many towns in England. The first ones in the town of 
Bath were built by the Romans. 

The splendor of Diocletian's Baths was enjoyed for only 



264 "^^^ WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

a brief century, for they were begun in a.d. 302, and are 
supposed to have fallen into ruin after the Gothic invasion 
of 408. From the decline of the Roman Empire till the 
invention of printing, not only was the use of the bath as a 
remedial agent in disease lost sight of, but the very habit 
and necessity of bathing, except in a few isolated places, or 
during brief periods of local revivals, seems to have disap- 
peared from among the cvistoms of men in the Occidental 
nations. 'Tis scant wonder the period was called the Dark 
Ages. 

It was not till near the middle of the present century that 
Dr. Bajter, in Ireland, revived the use of the hot-air bath, 
and its application as a therapeutic agent. Yet for two hun- 
dred years travellers had extolled the Eastern baths and 
urged their adoption by the Western nations : for their use 
was kept alive in Africa and Asia and the far-Eastern 
parts of Europe, In Egypt and Persia, in the 17th 
century, when Europe was devastated with plagues and 
epidemic fevers which the learned physicians of the day 
treated in most drastic fashion with blisters, bleeding, and 
deadly drugs, malignant fevers were combated success- 
fully with hot and cold baths and the free drinking of snow- 
water. 

It is a question if the Occidental nations have even yet 
really freed themselves from the perverting influence of the 
attitude of the Dark Ages towards baths and fresh air. 
There is an Italian saying that an ancient Roman took as 
many baths in a week as a modern one does in all his life ! 
And nowhere on the Continent are there private baths ex- 
cept in the most luxuriously appointed homes. Public baths 
there are in all large towns and cities at much more mod- 
erate price than any in this country; and during the last 
decade free public baths have multiplied rapidly; so that 
from being much behind us in the universal adoption of the 
custom, in the matter of providing for the multitude, Europe 
is leaving us in the background. 



IMPORTANCE OF FREE PUBLIC BATHS. 205 

Our material prosperity is a beautiful thing on the sur- 
face, but it needs a sounder core before just men and true 
and those still hopeful of a great future for their beloved 
country can be content. We squander the health of the 
poor by surrendering them to unsanitary conditions ; while 
the freer agents, the well-to-do, jeopardize life and health 
daily by the reckless violation of hygienic laws which they 
acknowledge and could obey. 

It is not so very many years since it was necessary to urge 
the advantages of the bath ; but in these days, while their 
necessity for the maintenance of health is everywhere ad- 
mitted — there being but few so densely encased in prejudice 
and ignorance that they do not accede to the theory — yet, 
everywhere we find people who in practice ignore it. No 
possible combination of personal charm can make a person 
attractive or in any degree companionable without perfect 
cleanliness. " Beauty commonly produces love, but cleanli- 
ness preserves it." Therefore, it is not merely for our own 
advantage, on the score of health and personal attraction, 
that we must observe the most scrupulous care in the mat- 
ter of baths ; we owe it to our companions, to society, to 
every one with whom, in the exigencies of daily life, we 
come in contact, to impress them with the sweet wholesome- 
ness of our presence. Not all the fine dress in the world, 
nor the most attractive exterior in form and feature, can 
efface the emotion of disgust which is aroused by the least 
suspicion of an odor of uncleanliness. Nothing else makes 
so favorable an impression at the first glance as one of ex- 
treme daintiness in personal care. 

A skin loaded and obstructed with its exuviae puts the 
body in exactly the condition for the absorption of all 
noxious vapors and infectious germs in the atmosphere. 
Thus are the poor compelled to take and to spread every 
contagious disease that is in the air. The greater part of 
contagious poisons are made epidemic in this manner. The 
poor have no weapons of defence; they cannot scrub away 



2o6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the poison, but must absorb it into their own poor^ run- 
down bodies. 

Don't be afraid of being too clean, or of washing away 
your skin with too frequent use of soap. Soap is tonic, and 
if need be it can be used twice daily on the entire body with 
no other than beneficial effects. As for the cold '' dab " of 
a five-minute's dash of water alone, commended by one 
health (?) writer as quite sufhcient for the daily ablution, 
I have no respect for it. I have no quarrel with the cold 
bath for those with whom it agrees; only, accept it for just 
what it is, merely a stimulant. Its ofhce as a cleansing 
agent is almost nil. The first effect is to contract the pores, 
so they yield none of their secretions; and the cold water 
has no afhnity for the oily, saline, and acid matter already 
exuded upon the skin. The brisk rubbing takes of¥ a Ht- 
tle of this, but by the time the glow of the reaction is felt 
the body is being hurriedly clothed, and whatever secretions 
the glands of the skin have the energy to throw out, either 
rub off upon the clothing to contaminate it, or remain in 
the orifices of the ducts. 

The extreme purity of the skin being absolutely essential 
for health, it follows that the daily bath is the surest means 
to secure it; and nothing conduces more to keep the skin 
soft, the flesh firm and round, the limbs pliant, and the 
whole body vigorous than frequent baths. Many beauty- 
destroying disorders are induced by neglect of bathing, for 
everything which depresses the action of the skin lowers 
the tone of all other vital organs. The volatile matter, or 
vapor, exhaled daily by the skin in normal health is twice 
that which the lungs eliminate, hence an inactive skin 
throws extra work upon both lungs and kidneys; and if it 
does not disease these organs it will wear them out prema- 
turely. Three fourths of the diseases to which civilized man 
is subject are attributed to the pores of the skin becoming 
stopped up. 

If women could but realize the nature of the poisonous 



WHAT ABSOLUTE CLEANLINESS REQUIRES. 207 

matter exuded from the s(vin through its millions of pores, 
it would not be necessary to advocate the advantages of the 
bath and its absolute necessity. It is only by experimenting 
that a woman can determine the frequency and the tem- 
perature of baths which best agree with her. ' No arbi- 
trary rules can be laid down. Especially in the matter of 
temperature is individual discretion the only law; and by 
no means should one person arrogantly prescribe her own 
regimen for another. We can give advice on this subject, 
and general rules, but that is all. 

Viewed simply on general principles the night bath is 
not healthful. With many persons it is too stimulating — 
no matter what the temperature or kind of bath — and pre- 
vents restful sleep. Where there is a predisposition to 
insomnia it is calculated to intensify the trouble. After 
the inertia of the night's repose, the skin needs the stimu- 
lus of the bath to encourage its functions, and also to free 
it from the wastes which otherwise would dry on it. The 
morning bath invigorates the whole body, corrects slug- 
gishness of the bowels and torpid action of the liver, while 
stimulating every organ, tissue, and structure of the body to 
do its w^ork. 

A very different principle is involved here from that 
which insists upon the cleansing bath for the face at night. 
The body has not been exposed to the dust-laden air, nor, 
worse yet, coated with paints and pastes; and the slight 
rubbing of the clothing has attracted to the under-garments 
a portion of the exuviae. Health requires the removal at 
night of every garment worn during the day; and least of 
all should the close-fitting under-vest be retained. If this 
bad habit has been indulged it can be broken gently, and by 
degrees, by wearing for a time night-gowns of pongee or 
thin, fine flannel. It is of great importance that the skin 
of the body be released at night from all clinging garments 
of close-textured fibre. The looser the gown, the more the 
flesh can be lapped in the air which it so much needs. 



208 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The tepid bath, whose temperature is from 85° to 92° 
Fahr., is sedative in its character; the hot bath, with tem- 
perature from 98° to 112° Fahr., is stimulant; and between 
the two comes the warm, with a temperature between 92° 
and 98° Fahr., which is comfortable, reviving, and a won- 
derful restorer. The cold bath is below 60°, and the cool 
one between 60° and 75° Fahr. As between the cold and 
the hot or warm baths, it may be said; the one stimulates 
the circulation, but the other acts with a marvehous and 
unerring certainty that nothing else can equal in facilitating 
all the renewing processes of organic life. In fact, judi- 
ciously applied, both externally and internally, there is no 
other agent than water which so assists the process of ren- 
ovation; that is, the assimilation of nutriment and the 
elimination of waste. The least disturbance of the perfect 
balance of these is the incipient seed of disease; and the 
secret of longevity is the maintainance of this function in 
its integrity. Years ago, when hydropathy was first intro- 
duced, Liebig said: " By means of water-cure treatment a 
change of matter is effected in a greater degree in six weeks 
than would happen in the ordinary course of nature in three 
years." 

The advocates of cold baths are like the early riser. They 
cannot fully enjoy the practice of the extraordinary virtue 
upon which they plume themselves without forcing it upon 
all their fellows. There is something of hardihood engen- 
dered in the very act which makes them radicals of the ex- 
tremest sort, intolerant of all divergence from their ways 
and opinions. 

Setting one side the hot bath's manifest superiority as a 
cleansing agent, it will doubtless surprise the cold-water 
faddist to be told that the ultimate result of both hot and 
cold baths, in moderation and when perfectly adapted to 
the constitution, is about the same; each stimulating the 
circulation of blood through the skin. But the expense to 
the vital economy is very unequal. " The effects of the hot 



THE HOT OR THE COLD BATH : WHICH ? 209 

and cold bath upon the combustion processes going on in 
the body may, not inaptly, be compared to the effect pro- 
duced upon a furnace by the hot and the cold blasts, both 
of which encourage combustion and increase the heat given 
off by the furnace; but the hot blast so facilitates, combus- 
tion that the same work is done by its aid, with an expendi- 
ture of 2^ tons of coal, that is done by the cold blast with an 
expenditure of 8 tons of coal." 

Therefore, the test for the cold bath's agreeing with the 
individual is not merely its being promptly followed by a 
healthful glow ; it is a question of superfluous vitality. Have 
you fuel to throw away ? Have you more physical strength, 
more sound, firm flesh than you need? Some people have. 
Let them consume it in this healthful fashion. But do not 
try to persuade the weak that they can gain strength by 
using it so wastefully. The hot bath facilitates and stimu- 
lates the natural combustion processes of the body ; the cold 
bath to produce the same result lavishes four times the 
amount of energy. If this fact were more generally under- 
stood there would be less ill-advised insistence upon deli- 
cate persons '' hardening " themselves by submitting their 
systems to the shock of the cold bath. One further caution 
also is necessary : When there is a predisposition to 
cutaneous disorders, the cold bath tends to increase them. 

If the morning bath is a cold one, there should be at least 
three warm or hot cleansing baths every week, but the sea- 
son of the year and personal exposure must regulate this. 
Under all circumstances the feet should be bathed both night 
and morning. In warm weather there is a natural inclination 
to bathe more frequently than at other seasons, and the daily, 
warm cleansing bath will do more to keep one in health and 
comfort than anything else. An excellent regimen for hot 
weather is to take a sponge-bath before breakfast in water 
in which sea-salt has been dissolved ; and take the warm 
cleansing bath a half-hour before the evening dinner, or 
when making the last toilet for the day. 



2IO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

When there is no convenience for the daily plunge-bath, 
it is quite possible, though not so pleasurable and more 
troublesome, to secure the same benefit with a basin or foot- 
tub of hot water. The essential thing is to open the pores 
of the skin and cleanse it by the free use of soap and water, 
followed by abundant friction. For such a bath it is an 
advantage to use hotter water than could be used for the 
plunge. A bath of this sort, with the water aromatized and 
softened with tincture of benzoin or some fragrant water, 
can be taken every morning, summer and winter, with none 
but the most beneficial results. Followed or preceded, ac- 
cording to convenience, by ten or fifteen minutes devoted 
to physical exercises, its influence upon body and mind is 
purifying and invigorating, preparing one for any duty or 
perplexity that the day may have in store. Especially when 
sleep has not been restful or when it has been too short to 
atone for the previous fatigue, I have known the hot morn- 
ing-bath to restore the vitality as much as three or four 
hours of sleep could do. It is really a wonderful corrective 
of the morbid conditions induced by brain exhaustion and 
want of exercise. That this opinion differs radically from the 
theory usually advocated, I know well; but it is the result 
of experience, and repeated tests of different methods. 

No one should remain in the plunge-bath, be it tepid, 
warm, or hot, longer than a half-hour; and in most cases 
ten minutes is quite long enough. The needle-spray with 
cold water, after the hot bath, has sometimes a tonic and 
very invigorating effect, being especially beneficial upon the 
neck and bust. But the sponging off with cold water (with 
a wash-cloth or bath-mitten, not a sponge) is as often nuga- 
tory as beneficial. I am perfectly aware that this sounds 
like heresy, but I assert nothing not proved by experience. 
It would better be omitted with the basin bath, the air of 
the room being all that is necessary to insure the most per- 
fect adjustment to the normal circulation. This air bath 
is, by the by, an important adjunct of all bathing ; and one 



AEOMATIC AND MEDICINAL BATHS. 211 

advantage of the basin bath is that it affords more oppor- 
tunity for it than does the plunge. 

Inventi®n has been rife in this Hn-de-siecle period in re- 
storing to the bath something of the refinements of luxury 
which not so long ago were but legends of the past. We 
do not yet take baths in fruit juices, nor in tepid perfume as 
did Cahgula; but we do scent them with aromatic oils as 
was the luxurious fancy of Helagabalus. And there are 
many medicinal and perfumed baths which are sovereign in 
their effects. 

A good substitute for the celebrated beauty-baths of milk 
is the following mixture, which can be put in the ordinary 
bath. The materials should be thoroughly incorporated 
with one another and put in cheese-cloth bags : 

MILK BATH. 

Marshmallow flowers ^ pound 

Hyssop herb. % pound 

Bran flour 4 pounds 

A camphorated bath is tonic and refreshing, and is pre- 
pared by dropping slowly into the warm water sufficient of 
the following lotion to make the water milky and fragrant : 

Tincture of camphor i ounce 

Tincture of benzoin 3^ ounce 

Cologne 2 ounces 

AROMATIC BATH. 

Macerate, in warm water for two hours, eight ounces each 
of lavender, thyme, and rosemary, together with a half- 
ounce each of ground cloves, cinnamon, and peppermint; 
strain, and add to an ordinary bath. This is tonic to the 
nerves and refreshing after great fatigue, and, moreover, 
disinfectant ; therefore to be commended after long rides 
in crowded street-cars, or any other exposure to the un- 
known dangers that stalk abroad with the great unwashed. 



212 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The advantage of a sea-bath can be enjoyed in the in- 
terior by the use of this compound : 

SEA-WATER BATH. 

Muriate of soda 2 pounds 

Sulphate of soda i pound 

Chloride of lime ^ pound 

Chloride of magnesia 3^ pound 

This should be dissolved in two gallons of warm water, 
and is sufficient for the ordinary bath of thirty gallons. 

The temperature of this bath must be regulated, like that 
of the hot sea-bath, by personal pecuUarities. What would 
be simply soothing and tonic to one, would prove too ex- 
citing and stimulating for another having a highly sensitive 
constitution. The absorption of salts in the warm bath 
stimulates the functions of the entire body, and, therefore, 
promotes the more ready oxidation of the tissues. The 
average temperature is 94° to 96° Fahr., but if it is desired 
to induce perspiration, often extremely beneficial, it is 
necessary to raise it to 98°. The best time to take this 
bath is mid-morning, three hours after breakfast, or an hour 
and a half before the evening dinner. Its tonic and sooth- 
ing effects are gained in fifteen minutes; to remain in the 
bath longer than this is relaxing. 

A salt rub is also tonic, and is given in the morning, after 
a tepid or warm bath, by taking a handful of sea-salt and 
rubbing it upon the body. The cold spray or sponging 
should succeed it, followed by brisk rubbing. 

Oatmeal bags used frequently in the bath are very pleas- 
ant; they whiten the skin and give it a velvety softness, be- 
sides imparting to it a delicate fragrance. Make the bags 
of cheese-cloth, about four inches square, and fill them 
loosely with the following mixture: 

OATMEAL BATH-BAGS. 
Oatmeal 5 pounds 



DAINTY AND LUXURIOUS FRENCH BATHS. 213 

Florentine orris-root (powdered) i pound 

Almond meal i pound 

Old Castile soap, scraped to a powder.. ^ pound 

A French device for a calming bath in the spring is to 
toss three handfuls of wild cowslips into the warm water. 
It is said to be delightful. 

Another, which is pronounced very soothing to the 
nerves, is to make an infusion of five hundred grammes of 
linden flowers and add to the bath. EmolHent baths which 
are extremely cleansing, and credited with rendering the 
skin very supple, soft, and white, are made by adding to the 
bath-water from two to six pounds of bran; or two pounds 
of farina, corn-starch, or oatmeal; or half as much linseed 
meal or gelatine. A better efTect is gained when these meals 
are boiled for fifteen minutes, and then put into a cheese- 
cloth bag, which is thrust into the bath. These are all 
much used by French women, and they place great faith 
also in a salt-and-herb bath called '' Salt of Pennes." It 
has tonic properties and is said to improve^ the complexion, 
regulate the circulation, and to be especially beneficial for 
those of florid habit, inchned to red noses. The formula is 
given in the amount for one large bath, but it can be pre- 
pared in larger quantities and kept in jars ready for use: 

BAIN DE PENNES. 

Bromide of potassium i gramme 

Carbonate of lime i gramme 

Carbonate of soda 300 grammes 

Phosphate of soda 8 grammes 

Sulphate of soda 5 grammes 

Sulphate of alumina i gramme 

Sulphate of iron 3 grammes 

Oil of lavender i gramme 

Oil of thyme i gramme 

Oil of rosemary i gramme 

A Vichy bath can be achieved by dissolving five hundred 
grammes of bicarbonate of soda in the bath-water. It is 



214 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

very soothing when summer heat has developed a rash or 
hives. For this last uncomfortable condition, often de- 
veloped by sea-bathing, the following lotions are also effica- 
cious: 

NO. I. LOTION FOR HIVES. 

Chloroform lo grammes 

Oil of sweet almonds 30 grammes 

Or, 

NO. 2. 

Powdered borax >4 ounce 

Spirits of camphor i ounce 

Glycerine 6 ounces 

Either lotion can be applied to the affected parts several 
times daily, according to the intensity of the irritation. The 
use of violet talcum-powder is also cooling and soothing. 

The virtues of the celebrated hot baths of Plombieres, in 
the Vosges Mountains, are imitated in this formula: 

SELS DE PLOMBIERES. 

Crystallized carbonate of soda 100 grammes . 

Chlorate of sodium (pure) 20 grammes 

Sulphate of soda 60 grammes 

Bicarbonate of soda 20 grammes 

Gelatine (pulverized) 100 grammes 

Mix the salts together; dissolve the gelatine in five times 
its weight of warm water. When ready for the bath pour 
both into the hot water. One -of the great virtues of the 
natural baths is their heat, which varies from 80° to 160° 
Fahr. To derive the greatest benefit from this bath it should 
be taken at a temperature of 98° to 125° Fahr., so as to in- 
duce free perspiration. 

A delightful aromatic bath which is also efficacious for 
the same purpose is this : 

AROMATIC SALTS BATH. 

Thyme (dried) 200 grammes 

Rosemary (dried) 200 grammes 



NERVE-TONIC AND ANTI-RHEUMATIC BATHS. 21^ 

Mallows (dried) 200 grammes 

Linden (dried) 200 grammes 

Rose-petals 200 grammes 

Bicarbonate of soda 250 grammes 

Steep the herbs in eight quarts of boiling water for a 
half-hour; decant, and dissolve the soda in the infusion. 
Add to a bath of the same temperature of the foregoing. 
The penetrating sweetness and invigorating, soothing effect 
of this bath must be enjoyed to be thoroughly understood. 
Of the great value of the perspiration induced, I shall have 
more to say; but these baths are especially beneficial to 
persons of bilious habit or suffering from torpid liver. 

For pallid, nervous, under-nutured women, whose gen- 
erally abnormal condition is summed up in the one word 
anaemia. Dr. Vaucaire says experience has demonstrated 
the great utility of this bath : 

VAUCAIRE'S INVIGORATING BATH. 

Sulphate of potassium 50 grammes 

Sub-carbonate of soda 100 grammes 

Gelatine 40 grammes 

Dissolve the gelatine in a quart of boiling water, and add 
it and the salts to a hot bath. 

Persons of neuralgic or rheumatic habit will derive 
benefit from adding a little oil of turpentine to the warm or 
hot bath, and their sufferings from an acute attack will be 
greatly relieved by the following: 

ANTI-RHEUMATIC BATH. 

Green soap 100 grammes 

Oil of turpentine 60 grammes 

Put in a small jug and agitate till the mixture is a foam- 
ing froth, then add to the hot bath. As the warmth pene- 
trates the body an almost immediate diminution of pain 
will be experienced. As soon as a prickly sensation is felt, 
in about fifteen minutes, the sufferer should leave the bath 



2l6 THE WOiMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and go directly to bed. Restful sleep will usually follow; 
and after a few hours, the patient will waken feeling very 
much better. 

Another bath of somewhat similar character, but much 
more comphcated, is pronounced an admirable tonic for the 
nerves and stimulant to the circulation; while it is claimed 
for it, moreover, that it will cure rheumatism and lumbago: 

TONIC PINE BATH. 

Green soap 12 ounces 

Tincture of benzoin 7 ounces 

Oil of turpentine 7 ounces 

Oil of Norwegian pine 7 ounces 

Oil of rosemary 7 ounces 

Make into an emulsion. Add one pint of this and one 
quart of spinnach-juice to a hot bath in which have been 
previously dissolved four ounces of bicarbonate of soda and 
three pounds of sea-salt. The temperature of the bath 
should be as hot as can be borne with comfort; and rest, 
sleep, if possible, should follow it. 

One of the famous Father Kneipp's baths is made by 
boiling for a half-hour a pound, more or less, of fresh, resin- 
ous pine-needles and pine-cones, broken into bits; strain 
and add the infusion to a hot bath. It is considered 
strengthening, and stimulates the function of the skin. 

The baths which Father Kneipp most frequently pre- 
scribed were decoctions of the flowering tops of hay or of 
oat-straw. A bag is filled with one or the other and boiled 
for a half-hour, and the decoction is poured into the bath. 
The first is the mildest in action, but pronounced " the bath 
of all baths to supply caloric"; that is, to stimulate the 
metamorphosis of tissue. The oat-straw bath is more 
vigorous in its action and renders excellent service in dis- 
eases of the kidneys and bladder. 

A moycn-age formula for a beauty-bath directs the fol- 
lowing melange: 



REVIVIFYING BATH FOR THE TIRED WOMAN. 217 

BAIN DE BEAUTE. 

Barley 2 pounds 

Rice I pound 

Pulverized lupin-seeds 3 pounds 

Bran 6 pounds 

Oatmeal 2 pounds 

Borrage , . . . ^ pound 

Lavender : ^ pound 

Wild gilly-flower Vi pound 

Boil in soft water for an hour; strain, and add two quarts 
of the decoction to the bath-water, in which you have pre- 
viously dissolved an ounce each of borax and bicarbonate 
of soda. This is pronounced unequalled for its cleansing, 
whitening, and softening effect upon the skin. 

After a fatiguing day, a woman can do nothing which 
will more quickly restore tone to thobbing nerves, rob 
strained, tense muscles of their aching weariness, and fit her 
again for the duties of life — as looking fresh and comme 
il faut at the dinner-table, and ready for any evening amuse- 
ment — than to take either some kind of aromatic hot-bath 
or to follow the simple hot-water bath by spraying the 
body with a fragrant toilet-water, Cologne, or invigorating 
aromatic vinegar. ' If the head is aching — most women's 
heads do ache when they are tired — break the two-baths- 
a-day rule and bathe the face also in hot perfumed water. 
Do it slowly, rubbing the forehead and temples in the ro- 
tary motion and let the hot cloth linger behind the ears 
and on the back of the neck. This treatment will revive and 
rest one more than an hour's sleep can. 

Of Colognes there are countless grades and sorts, but 
here is the secret of the best. Cologne-water, so universally 
used in all civilized countries, was invented in the Flemish 
city which gives it its name by one of the Farina family, 
early in the eighteenth century, but it was originally known 
as esprit de vie — eHxir of life. It owes its peculiar and benef- 
icent qualities to the citron family, various combinations of 
whose fragrances form the principal ingredients. One ad- 



2l8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

vantage that the French and German makers have over 
chemists in this country is the purity and high quahty of 
their brandy spirit, or spirit of wine, made from the grape; 
which is more congenial to the citron aromas than our 
alcohol made from the corn spirit. It is imperative that 
the latter be deodorized when used for eau de Cologne, be- 
cause the fusel oil it contains debases the essential oils. The 
best neroli — orange-flower perfume — is extracted from the 
citrus bigaradia, or bitter orange, called also the Seville 
orange. It is much more delicate than that which the citrus 
aurantium, or edible orange, yields. Bergamot, from the 
citrus bergamia, grown in Southern France, Sicily, and 
Calabria, should have a greenish color when fresh; and it 
loses its purity when exposed to light and air. It is of 
special value when mingled with the spice oils, whose rich- 
ness it develops. Limette is expressed from the rind of the 
citrus limetta, or lime; a fruit similar to the lemon but 
smaller and more acid, and its odor is finer. 

The Farinas distill the citron oils with the spirit, and add 
the other oils afterward; but some chemists think that dis- 
tilling is injurious to the most delicate odors and prefer the 
simple process of digesting as described for extracts. All 
mixed perfumes improve with age; that is, they are better 
after two months than in less time, and should not be used 
under a month or six weeks. Light and air should be ex- 
cluded during digestion, and they should always be closely 
stoppered. 

FARINA COLOGNE. 

Oil of bergamot i ounce 

Oil of neroli, bigarade 6 drachms 

Oil of rosemary 6 drachms 

Oil of lemon 3 drachms 

Oil of cloves I drachm 

Oil of lavender i drachm 

Rectified spirit i gallon 



THE SECRET OF FINE COLOGNES. 219 

EAU DE COLOGNE SUPREME. 

Oil of neroli, bigarade 4 drachms 

Oil of bergamot i^ ounces 

Oil of cedrat 2 drachms 

Oil of limette 2 drachms 

Oil of Portugal 4 drachms 

Oil of rosemary i^ ounces 

Oil of petit-grain 4 drachms 

Tincture of ambrette i ounce 

Tincture of orris-root i ounce 

Extract of orange-flower, No. i 4 ounces 

Deodorized alcohol , . i gallon 

Orange-flower water, triple i quart 

EAU DE LISBON CELEBRE. 

Oil of Portugal I ounce 

Oil of lemon. 3^ ounce 

Oil of rose ^ drachm 

Oil of neroli, bigarade ^ drachm 

Spirits of wine (rectified) 2 pints 

This is a favorite toilet-water with Spanish beauties, who 
use it upon the hair as well as for the-bath. 

EAU DE LAVAND AMBRE. 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) 5 drachms 

Oil of rose Yz drachm 

Oil of bergamot 3 drachms 

Tincture of musk. Yz ounce 

, Tincture of ambergris Yz ounce 

Rose-water, triple Y2 pint 

Alcohol 95% \Y2 pints 

Mix well and let stand a week before filtering. A siniple, 
pure lavender-water, pronounced " the finest," is made by 
digesting one ounce of Mitcham oil of lavender in a half- 
pint of strongest rectified spirits. Other perfumed alco- 
holic waters can be made in the same way. 

A very agreeable aromatic vinegar which has a great 
reputation as a disinfectant and microbe-destroyer is Mar- 
seilles vinegar, or 



■ j!S 

J 



220 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

VINAIGRE DES QUATRE VOLEURS. 

Lavender flowers i ounce 

Fresh tops of rosemary, thyme, rue, 

sage, wormwood, and mint, of each ^ ounce 
Calamus, nutmegs, cloves, and cinna- 
mon (bruised), of each i drachm 

Camphor i drachm 

Alcohol 2 ounces 

Strong wine-vinegar i quart 

Dissolve the camphor in the alcohol, then add the herbs, 
spices, and vinegar ; let it stand to digest for ten days, then 
strain. This is said to have been the means by which the 
four thieves who robbed the victims of the plague in Mar- 
seilles escaped contagion while engaged in their ghoulish 
work. When detected in the crime, one of them escaped 
the gallows by giving the formula to a physician. 

VINAIGRE TONIOUE. 

Oil of bergamot 12 grammes 

Oil of citron 10 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin 12 grammes 

Extract of lavender 30 grammes 

Pure white vinegar i^ pints 

Let this infuse for ten days, then filter. Dilute with four 
to five parts of water when using. Rose or distilled water 
can be used, or, better still, freshly boiled hot water. Espe- 
cially upon the face, all toilet-waters have a better effect 
when applied warm. This is excellent for relaxed tissues 
and a coarse skin. 

Lavender vinegar can be made by the formula given for 
flower vinegars (see next page), a method which gives the 
odor, whether flower or herb, in the purest and simplest 
form. It is especially calming and invigorating, and hence 
a most agreeable addition to the bath in hot weather. Two 
compound formulae which are more highly aromatic are 
these : 



THE MAKING OF TOILET WATERS. 221 

AROMATIC LAVENDER-VINEGAR. 

Lavender-water i quart 

Rose-water 5 ounces 

Glacial acetic acid 2^ ounces 

VINAIGRE DE LAVANDE. 

Oil of lavender ^ ounce 

Oil of bergamot ^ drachm 

Oil of lemon ^ drachm 

Tincture of ambergris i ounce 

White-wine vinegar i pint 

Rectified spirits ^ pint 

A refreshing toilet-water for which almost as fabulous vir- 
tues are claimed as for Hungary Water is 

EAU DES BAYADERES. 

Oil of bergamot 12 grammes 

Oil of citron 5 grammes 

Oil of Portugal 5 grammes 

Oil of neroli 3 grammes 

Oil of petit-grain 3 grammes 

Oil of rosemary i^ grammes 

Otto of roses ' 2 drops 

Balsam of tolu 3 drachms 

Spirits of wine (rectified) i quart 

Infuse for two to three weeks ; then filter. Fifteen to 
twenty drops in a quarter-glass of warm water makes a 
most delightful lotion. Dilute it with four parts of rose- 
water, to fill an atomizer, as the body is sprayed while still 
wet from the bath. It is said to whiten the skin, make 
freckles grow dim, and to stimulate the functions of the 
skin so much as to heighten the color. 

Other excellent toilet-vinegars are these : 

ORANGE-FLOWER VINEGAR. 

Extract of neroli petale y/2 ounces ' 

White-wine vinegar i pint 

VIOLET VINEGAR. 

Extract of cassie 4 ounces 

Extract of neroli bigarade i^ ounces 



222 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Tincture of orris-root 3 ounces 

Essence of rose, triple 2^ ounces 

White-wine vinegar i pint 

A toilet vinegar of any favorite odor can be made by di- 
gesting from three to four ounces of fresh flowers, herbs, 
or other aromatic substance, in one pint of strong white- 
wine vinegar. Let it stand for a week, agitating several 
times daily; then strain by expression, and repeat the 
process with fresh flowers if not sufficiently scented. Dried 
herbs can be prepared in the same way, half the quantity 
sufficing ; but the fresh substances are preferable. Any ex- 
tract can be prepared in the proportions given for the 
orange-flower vinegar; and still finer ones are made by 
using the essential oils, in the proportion of fifteen to twenty 
drops for one pint of the purest wine vinegar. Cowslips 
and primroses make the Vinaigrc dc Primcverc of the French 
perfumer, but it is also imitated by compounds. 

More concentrated preparations of many odors form the 
pungent aromatic vinegars which are used by inhalation as 
stimulants to relieve headache, faintness, and languor. They 
aie also refreshing when added to the bath-water, and 
purify the air of a sick-room most gratefully, when sprinkled 
upon a hot plate or sprayed about the apartment. One of 
the finest is this : 

VINAIGRE AROMATIQUE. 
Camphor (pure and crushed fine) .... 2^ ounces 

Oil of cloves I J^ drachms 

Oil of rosemary i drachm 

Oil of bergamot ^ drachm 

Oil of cinnamon {pure) ^4 drachm 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) 5^ drachm 

Oil of pimento (allspice) ^2 drachm 

Oil of neroli petale. ^ drachm 

Spirits of wine (rectified) ^2 ounces 

Glacial acetic acid i pound 

Put all together in a closely stoppered bottle and mix by 



CHOICE AROMATIC VINEGARS. 223 

continued and thorough agitation. This is so strong as to 
be corrosive, so, when unadulterated, should be kept from 
contact with skin and clothes. The longer this is allowed 
to season in the bottle the finer it will be, for the alcohol 
and acid react on each other and make acetic ether, form- 
ing another aromatic odor. For use in a vinaigrette, satu- 
rate either a bit of sponge with the vinegar or fill the vinai- 
grette first with crystals of sulphate of potassium. 
Not so strong and less expensive is this : 

AROMATIC TOILET VINEGAR. 

Spirits of wine (rectified) i pint 

Aromatic vinegar >4 pint 

Gum benzoin i^ ounces 

Balsam of Peru ^ ounce 

Oil of neroli ^ drachm 

Oil of mace Yz drachm 

Digest for a week, with frequent agitation, then filter 
through porous paper. When used as a lotion upon the 
face, dilute with four times the quantity of fragrant water ; 
for the bath, put a dozen drops in a basin of water, or enough 
to make the water fragrant and to look a little milky. Bot- 
tles for perfumed waters, extracts, and all toilet accessories 
should be absolutely clean and dry. A final rinsing with 
alcohol is the best means to insure this condition. The 
presence of even a single drop of water may not only cause 
the perfume to look turbid and milky, but it may quickly 
set up decomposition, causing it to mildew and generate 
fungi. 

Of alcoholic fragrant waters long popular in Europe, 
where they are credited with more or less virtue as cos- 
metics, the choicest are these: 

EAU DE FRAMBOISE. 

Strawberries (finest, fresh and ripe) 8 pounds 

Rectified spirits 2 quarts 

" Digest, and distil nearly to dryness in a salt-water or 



224 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

steam-bath." Sometimes a dash of some extract is added 
to increase the fragrance. 

EAU DE HELIOTROPE. 

Orange-flower water ^ pint 

Vanilla (coarsely powdered) 4 drachms 

Essence of ambergris >/2 drachm 

Oil of bitter almonds 6 drops 

Oil of cassia 6 drops 

Spirits of wine (rectified) i quart 

Digest for ten days, then filter through porous paper. 

GUIBERT'S EAU INCOMPARABLE. 

Essence of lemon 4 drachms 

Essence of bergamot 3 drachms 

Essence of cedrat 2 drachms 

Hungary water >4 pint 

Spirits of wine (rectified) 2 quarts 

Agitate all together, and add 

Pure water ^ pint 

Agitate again, and distil. This was formerly credited 
with extraordinary medicinal virtues, and is used much as 
Eau de Cologne is, for headaches and faintness. It is also 
one of the ingredients in some of the after-dinner liqueurs. 

AQUA MELLIS ODORIFERA. 

Esprit de rose (No. 3) i pint 

Esprit de jasmin (No. 2) ^ pint 

Orange-flower water 3^ pint 

Spirits of wine (rectified) ^ pint 

Essence of vanilla i ounce 

Essence of musk 6~ drachms 

Essence of ambergris 3 drachms 

Oil of Portugal 2 drachms 

Oil of rosemary i drachm 

Oil of thyme i drachm 

Flowers of benzoin Vi drachm 



UPON THE MAKING OF ROSE-WATER. 225 

Mix and let stand for a fortnight, agitating several times 
daily. Though devoid of honey, it possesses its concen- 
trated sweetness, and it is esteemed as a skin-lotion as well 
as for its perfume. 

The popular pungent lavender-water is made by the fol- 
lowing formula: 

AMMONIATED LAVENDER-WATER. 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) i fluid ounce 

Spirit of ammonia (caustic) 15^ pints 

Mix; and fill vinaigrette as previously directed. This is 
the preparation of the French pharmacopoeia, and much 
esteemed to relieve headache or faintness. 

As the rose is queen of flowers, so there is no other odor 
which approaches it in value to the perfumer. Only the 
genuine extracts of orange-flower and violet can at all com- 
pare with it in delicacy of fragrance. Of all fragrant toilet- 
waters none is used so much as rose-water, and when pure 
there are none which possess greater cosmetic virtue; but, 
alas! the rose-waters of commerce are too often poor di- 
luted slops; even made of impure water, which rapidly de- 
composes as soon as it is exposed to the air. The finest 
distilled waters are made in France, where the flowers are 
grown in perfection, and where great skill and care are ex- 
ercised in the extraction of their odors. There is, how- 
ever, a disagreement of authorities as to the method; one 
insisting upon the superior quality of the water distilled 
from the fresh flowers, and the other claiming greater re- 
finement and delicacy for the product of salted or pickled 
flowers (and herbs, as the case may be). It is further said 
that the latter method keeps better and reaches its maturity, 
or full development of odor, in a shorter time. 

In preparing rose-water, different formulae call for four 
pounds of the petals to ten quarts of water; or ten pounds 
to eight quarts. In both, only half the water is distilled, 
and the usual practice is to reject the first two or three 



226 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ounces that pass from the stilL The product is well shaken 
and stored, loosely covered, in a cool, dark place for several 
weeks, " or even months," till it loses its rawness and de- 
velops its full odor. Then it is decanted into smah bottles 
and closely corked. When the flowers are salted they are 
packed in an earthen jar and covered with a weak brine of 
common salt. Every day's gathering being added to the 
stock till sufihcient quantity has been saved. 

An improvised still can be made by fastening an India- 
rubber tube to the spout of a tea-kettle, and passing it 
through a pail of cold water to condense the steam. The 
distillate should be received in a glass, earthen, or tin re- 
ceptacle; as, if the waters come in contact with copper, 
zinc, or lead, they will oxidize and dissolve the metals. Stills 
for home use are now made at prices which are no longer 
prohibitive. They range in capacity from a half-gallon to 
one hundred, and the smaller size are extensively used to 
purify all the drinking-water for a family. 

DOUBLE-DISTILLED ROSE-WATER. 

Otto of roses 3 drachms 

Rectified spirits (strong; hot) i pint 

Dissolve, throw the solution into a 12-gallon carboy, and 
add 

Pure distilled-water, 185° Fahr 10 gallons 

Cork the carboy loosely, and agitate the whole briskly, 
though with caution, until quite cold. Cooley pronounces 
this excellent. " Answers well as a vehicle, and keeps well, 
and is superior to much of the trash carelessly distilled from 
a scanty quantity of rose-leaves." 

Elder-i^ower water is made from the variety Sambucus 
nigra, which grows wild in Europe. It should be made 
from the fresh flowers, as they greatly deteriorate in dry- 
ing; and our American variety, the Sambucus canadensis, is 
just as good for the purpose. 



OTHER FAMOUS COSMETIC WATERS. 227 

Orange-flower water is made like rose-water; ten pounds 
of the flowers to two gaUons of water. Syringa flowers can 
be prepared in the same way, and are one of the adulterants 
of which commerce makes too much use. Myrtle water, 
wdiich requires three and a half pounds of flowers to two 
gallons of water, is a delicate and pleasant perfume. It is 
always possible to increase the strength of distilled waters 
by repeating the operation with fresh flowers, as is done 
wath the extracts and pomades for the choicest products. 
This would be an excellent plan when working in a small 
way with flowers from a private garden. All the garden 
pets, mignonette, lilies of the valley, clove-pinks, valerian, 
heliotrope, and honeysuckle, as well as roses and violets, 
could thus be made to yield their fragrance for winter joy 
and comfort as well as summer pleasure. 

Eau d'Ange, also called Portugal Water, is made by the 
following formula, and is esteemed as one of the '' beauty 
waters": 

ANGEL WATER. 

Eau de rose 5 ounces 

Eau fleur d'oranges 5 ounces 

Eau de myrte 2^ ounces 

Essence of ambergris i drachm 

Essence of musk >2 drachm 

Mingle and agitate for several hours, and frequently every 
day for a week, keeping the bottle closely stoppered and in 
a warm place, but preferably dark, or wrap the bottle in 
papers to exclude light. Let it repose for two weeks or 
longer, then decant, and if not perfectly clear, filter. It 
should be almost colorless. 

FLORIDA WATER. 

Oil of lavender 2 drachms 

Oil of bergamot 2 drachms 

Oil of lemon 2 drachms 

Oil of neroli i drachm 

Tincture of turmeric i drachm 



228 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Oil of balm 30 drops 

Otto of roses 10 drops 

Rectified spirits i quart 

Agitate all together, cork tightly and leave to digest in 
a warm, dark place for several wrecks, agitating daily, for 
the first ten days. Decant, and filter if necessary. 

Genuine bay rum is imported from the West Indies, 
where the fresh leaves of the bay-tree — Myrcia acris — are 
distilled in a crude sort of alcohol, a product obtained in the 
manufacture of rum from molasses. 

Askinson's formula is this : 

BAY RUM. 

Oil of bay (from Myrcia acris) 240 grains 

Oil of orange (bigarade) 16 grains 

Oil of pimenta 16 grains 

Alcohol I quart 

Water 25 fluid ounces 

Dissolve the oils in the alcohol and add the water. Stir 
into the liquid about two ounces of precipitated phosphate 
of lime, and filter. It will improve by age. 

Any list of bath-waters would be incomplete without in- 
cluding Mme. Sara Bernhardt's famous skin-tonic which 
makes the flesh firm and elastic while strengthening and 
whitening the skin and soothing the nerves. It may not 
agree with skins inclined to eruptions. 

BERNHARDT'S EAU SEDATIVE. 

Alcohol Yz pint 

Spirits of camphor 2 ounces 

Spirits of ammonia "2 ounces 

Sea-salt 5 ounces 

Boiling water to make i quart 

Put all in a bottle and agitate thoroughly. Rub into the 
skin with the hands ; shake always before using. It is an 
excellent plan when baring the arms and neck for evening- 



IMPORTANT OFFICE OF THE TURKISH BATH. 229 

dress to bathe them with this lotion ; and it takes the fa- 
tigue out of tired muscles after a long walk. 

But with all this we have not done all that ,can be done 
for the cleansing of the body. There remains the purifier 
of purifiers, — the Turkish bath ; and its substitute, the home 
vapor-bath, which can be given in many ways. Beyond the 
mere surface cleanliness of the body which the hot bath 
insures, we need something more to assist its perfect purity. 
We need to so stimulate the action of the glands that their 
ducts and pores shall be thoroughly flushed. 

A sedentary life ctr irregular habits, everything which ex- 
hausts the nervous system, deranges the sebaceous glands 
more than the sudoriferous; and when its organism is 
torpid, not only is the skin deprived of its natural emollient, 
but the solid and dried secretions set up an irritation on 
their own account, and become an inflamed breeding- 
ground for the little parasites mentioned in the previous 
chapter. Nothing except an abundanfce of outdoor exer- 
cise so stimulates and insures the healthful action of the 
sebaceous system as the hot-air or the vapor-bath. And 
the two together defy torpidity ! 

There is no form of skin disease in which the hot-air 
bath cannot be employed to advantage, and its regular use 
is authoritatively pronounced " prophylactic of them all." 
Its influence upon the mind and disposition through its 
soothing action upon the nervous system is most beneficent ; 
and it is as good for the infant as for its mother, developing 
in the babe an increased power to resist the disorders to 
which through injudicious treatment it is exposed. Dunlop 
says : '' It is an easy and certain means of strengthening 
the constitution of delicate children — it educates, trains the 
skin to withstand climatic changes, and thus prevents chills, 
colds, and an array of evil consequences — and, above all, 
it counteracts or eradicates, as nothing else can do, inherited 
proclivities to disease, which are the penalties of past trans- 
gressions of Nature's laws." 



230 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Among the Turks, their hot-air bath is used as a preven- 
tive measure in disease, and takes the place of medicine 
almost entirely. As every drop of blood courses through 
the whole system of circulation many times in an hour, it 
ought readily to be understood what an advantage it must 
be if by means of the hot vapor we bring to the surface of 
the body every drop of its blood, subjecting it to a purifying 
and renovating process not less important in its effects than 
that which the lungs render it. 

In disease there is no other so prompt method of re- 
lieving internal congestions, and promoting the restoration 
of normal conditions, because of the facility with which the 
morbific products and decomposed wastes which excite dis- 
order are expelled from the system. The blood is returned 
to the vital organs aerated and purified : and this condition 
fully established means, that the foundation of all organic 
life and health is laid. 

In cases of croup the function of respiration is danger- 
ously threatened, for the inflammation extends rapidly from 
the throat to the bronchial tubes. A membrane is formed 
in the throat, whose muscular contraction threatens strangu- 
lation; and the poisonous accumulations in the lungs at 
the same time may cause blood poisoning: so the situation 
is critical and demands prompt relief. If by inducing pro- 
fuse perspiration the skin can be made to perform the work 
of the lungs, the battle is won ; for not only is the blood 
quickly freed from its deadly poisons, but all the congestion 
and inflammation is relieved, the breathing improves, and 
Nature instantly inaugurates her helping work in restoring 
the internal economy to its healthful, normal action. In all 
acute diseases of the lungs or throat such immediate relief 
is afforded by this natural, unmedicated agent, that one 
marvels it is so infrequently resorted to. Countless lives 
might be saved every year by this means. 

"Concerning the important office in the human economy 
of the perspiratory system the lay mind exhibits, too often, 



CURIOUS FACTS CONCERNING PERSPIRATION. 23 1 

a woful ignorance. There are, indeed, delicate creatures, 
men as well as women, who think it " Quite vulgar, don't 
you know, to sweat! " But, really, the results of not doing 
it are much more vulgar, for they involve impurity and un- 
cleanness. Here let me explain that there is a curious dis- 
tinction in nomenclature, which is often confused when not 
ignored. The word perspiration, which for some mys- 
terious reason is not considered so offensive as sweat, ap- 
plies only to the invisible exhalations from the ducts. When 
the sudoriferous excretions stand in visible drops it is 
sweat. 

The normal constituents of sweat are various salts and 
acids which are subject to curious chemical changes, and 
when retained in the system are active poisons. Certain of 
these are odorless; others, when the body is in perfect 
health, have a slight, indefinable fragrance; but the butyr- 
ates are rank. They are salts formed of butyric acid and 
a base; and the acid is oily, with an offensive odor, being 
the same chemical property which gives to butter its ran- 
cidity. If proof were wanting of the disastrous effect of 
violent emotions upon the health, we have it by analysis of 
these excretions, which reveal the most remarkable chem- 
ical changes wrought by the emotions of the moment. An 
ungovernable temper, melancholy or brooding sorrow, 
anxiety and worry; in fact, every evil emotion, produces 
its particular poison, which can be identified by chemical 
analysis. To balance this evil, all generous emotions, as 
well as pleasurable ones, every agreeable thought, produces 
chemical products which are salutary. 

A French savant who gives this theory to the world 
further avers, that if a small quantity of the sweat from a 
person suffering under the consciousness of guilt be placed 
in a glass tube and brought in contact with selenic acid it 
will turn rose-color. No other poison from the sudorifer- 
ous glands furnishes the same phenomenon. 

Persons who have had the misfortune to come in contact 



232 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

with victims of the terrible chlorodyne habit must have no- 
ticed that if other symptoms were wanting they can always 
tell when a dose has been recently taken by the peculiar, 
sickishly sweet odor which emanates from the whole per- 
son as well as from the breath. It is so strong it can be 
smelled two yards away, and pervades the whole atmos- 
phere of the victim's room and her belongings. Other 
drugs there are, also, which betray their presence, in the 
same way, a few minutes after the dose is swallowed. Oil 
of turpentine gives to the excretions a faint odor of violet, 
and oil of myrtle affects them in the same way. 

The hot-air bath of the Greeks was in all essential par- 
ticulars very like our modern Turkish baths. Yet one 
luxury we enjoy, soap, which I am sure we would not ex- 
change for their greater splendor. But we could with great 
advantage more frequently follow their custom of mas- 
saging with oil or ointment. This anointing greatly di- 
minishes susceptibility to atmospheric changes, which in 
our variable climate is of vast importance. We are only 
just beginning to realize how much we can nourish as well 
as purify the body through the skin. 

In the time of the Emperors the luxurious bath began in 
the hot air of the Tepidariiun, where the body was frictioned 
with flour or soda and scraped with the strigil, a kind of 
flesh-brush. A hot-water bath in the Gaidar inm followed, 
and then a cold plunge in the Frigidarium; and finally the 
body was well rubbed down with oils and perfumes by the 
shampooer. 

The public baths at Constantinople are open one day in 
the week for Turkish women and another for the Greek 
women. Ladies go attended by their own women, carry- 
ing such supplies of linen and toilet-accessories, as well as 
luncheon and apparatus to make coffee, that the occasion 
looks like a house-moving. A large vaulted room is sur- 
rounded on two sides with a double balcony. The lower 
one, about two or three feet above the marble floor, is di- 



TURKISH BATHS IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 233 

vided by curtains into compartments which are the private 
dressing-rooms. The upper balcony is open to all for the 
same purpose. After disrobing, white bath-gowns are 
donned, and, mounted on wooden pattens to keep the feet 
from the unbearably hot floor, the bathers enter the boiling- 
room and seat themselves in groups close to a stream of 
very hot water. Every woman is attended by one or two 
maids, who rub her with perfumed soap and pour hot water 
over her, using large metal bowls which they take with 
them for the purpose. '' The perfumes of the East are not 
only countless in number, but of a strength almost over- 
powering to Western nerves. Literally, not only every 
flower but every fruit is pressed into the service of the per- 
fumer." One drop of their attar gul — otto of roses — will 
scent for years the stuff on which it is poured. A whole 
box of these precious perfumes, as well as bottles of scented 
waters, is taken to the bath, and an English lady says, ex- 
cept the violets, which were exquisite, she preferred the 
bottles unopened. 

The temperature of the boiling-room, which is filled with 
dense vapor soon after the bathing begins, is pretty high, 
and from it open smaller rooms still hotter; but the body 
accommodates itself so gratefully to the heat that the shock 
in these is not so great as on entering the first room. The 
servants have a quantity of queer-looking yellow gloves 
of varying degrees of roughness, and in the hot-room these 
are used to shampoo the bather, the soaping and rubbing 
being done with increased vigor. After this, cold water is 
dashed upon the bather, or she takes a dip in the cold swim- 
ming-pool; then she is wrapped in great sheet-like towels, 
frictioned till in a glow, enveloped in a bath-robe, and con- 
ducted to her alcove; where, with the curtains drawn aside 
so she can look out upon the chattering, laughing crowd, 
she reclines on a satin mattress, and smokes her narghile 
or drinks coffee; while her maids comb and, if needed, dye 
her hair and proceed with all the mysteries of their intricate 



234 "^^^ WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

make-up, staining eyelids and eyebrows with antimony 
or .Mesdjem, and tinting and polishing the finger-nails. 

The whole scene, as the large floor becomes covered with 
mattresses and reclining women for the after-bath repose, 
is picturesque to a degree. It is the principal social oppor- 
tunity in a Turkish woman's life, and this glimpse of her 
in easy familiar intercourse gives strangers a most favor- 
able impression of her native refinement. 

Though the baths of China and Japan are a striking con- 
trast in their simplicity to those of the Greeks and Romans, 
and even to those of modern Turkey, the principle is the 
same in all. Their great heat stimulates the pores of the 
skin to throw off in profuse sweat all the waste matters that 
otherwise linger sluggishly in the veins and glands to 
poison and depress, when they do not irritate, every organ 
of the body. 

The Russian bath differs from the Turkish in being a 
vapor-bath, in principle the same as the primitive baths first 
described ; while the Turkish begins with exposure to dry 
heat at a temperature of from 120° to 150° Fahr. The effect 
of both is much the same, and when many bathers gather 
at the same time in a Turkish bath the air becomes quickly 
charged with vapor. It is thought by some that the Turk- 
ish bath favors reduction of flesh and the Russian increases; 
but both have been used with equal benefit in curing 
obesity. 

When taking a Turkish bath in this country, you don a 
loose cotton or cambric chemise of simplest form, and en- 
veloped in an ample sheet enter the sudatorium where your 
attendant seats you comfortably in a reclining chair, binds a 
wet towel about your forehead, and gives you a glass of cold 
water. Your attendant carefully watches the effect of the 
heat, supplies more drinking water if needed, and leaves 
you for a longer or shorter time according to the response 
of the perspiratory glands. When the sweat starts freely 
from every pore, you go into a still hotter room and recline 



THE TURKISH BATH IN AMERICA. 235 

on a marble couch, which stretches round the sides of the 
apartment. A fresh wet towel is bound about the brows, 
more water drunk, and you lie here till as wet as if dipped 
in the swimming pool, and altogether the sensation is de- 
lightfully soothing. You feel as if a lot of depressing, clog- 
ging products were being coaxed out of you. Sometimes 
there is a progression through several of these hot rooms, 
at increasing temperature up to 210° Fahr. ; or, if you are 
alone, the temperature is raised in this second one, the 
attendant adjusting it according to the effect upon the 
bather. 

After this you are taken to a marble cabinet, where, re- 
clining on a marble couch, you are lathered and shampooed, 
while hot water is freely poured over you. The needle- 
spray — very delightful — follows, and after it, if you choose, 
two or three quick dips into the cold swimming-pool. Some 
women are too timid to venture upon this, and if there is 
weak action of the heart it is best not to ; otherwise an en- 
joyable part of the bath is missed. After friction with 
Turkish towels, there is another shampoo with alcohol, if 
desired; and then the bather is enveloped in a fresh sheet and 
tucked up on a restful couch in the tepidarium for a half- 
hour's rest ; and, if she wants it, has a cup of tea or cofTee. 

Could those good people who nurture a virtuous feeling 
of pride in their state of superior cleanliness produced by a 
regimen of daily cold baths and one warm soap-scrub per 
week, see, just once, the amount of dead cuticle and actual 
dirt that rolls away under the influence of the shampooer's 
kneading and lathering, they would be convinced of the 
makeshift character of such baths, — a mere sop to the idea 
of cleanliness. 

It is a great pity that the advantage of these baths is not 
more widely appreciated so that through generous and large 
patronage their price could be reduced; for, under existing 
circumstances they are quite beyond the reach of a large 
class of overworked people whose sedentary occupations 



236 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

produce the very conditions which are most promptly allevi- 
ated by them. Very many, however, of this very class do 
spend hard-earned dollars for patent nerve-tonics, which 
would return to them a hundred-fold more benefit if they 
paid for baths instead. 

An excellent substitute for the Turkish bath is found in 
the cabinet baths which are now made at prices varying 
from five to forty-five dollars. The cheaper ones are either 
collapsable or folding things that can be shut or folded 
and put out of the way on a closet shelf, while the more 
expensive wooden cabinets take up very little room, and are 
so easily adjusted that no attendant is required. They are 
used in New York by fastidious women who will not go to 
a public bath and who employ an experienced masseuse; 
thus obtaining all the luxury of a Turkish bath in their own 
homes. Their convenience in the home, where they could 
be regularly used by every member, and would be at hand 
for the emergencies of sudden illness, cannot be overesti- 
mated. And if once the value of such baths upon the gen- 
eral health were understood, there are few who would not 
contrive by some expedient to enjoy their benefits regu- 
larly. 

The folding- cabinet-baths shut up like a screen into a 
thickness of six inches, and the average size when open is 
thirty inches square by forty-two inches high. The frame- 
work is of strong wire, or of kiln-dried wood that has been 
subjected for many days to a temperature of 170°. The 
four sides are covered with rubber cloth stretched tautly 
over the frame just as the folds of a screen are covered; and 
for the best cabinets double-faced cloth is used, or else the 
frame is covered outside and in, so no cloth surface is ex- 
posed. If cloth having one side only faced with rubber 
is used, the rubber-covered surface should be turned toward 
the inside of the cabinet. The sides are hinged together 
with strips of the material used for covering them, extend- 
ing the full length of the sides. To secure greater stability 



HOW TO TAKE A VAPOR-BATH AT HOME. 23; 

when in use, hooks and staples are attached in the corners, 
above and below, by which each side is hooked to the sides 
adjoining. The top is covered with curtains of rubber cloth, 
which meet in the centre, have a circular opening where 
the head projects, and are fastened with metal buttons and 
sockets. These cabinets are quite simple and can be easily 
made at home. The accompanying illustration shows their 
construction clearly, as also the heater used with them. The 
bowl of the heater, which need not be more than three and 
a half inches in diameter by one and a half inches deep, is 
filled with asbestos, which is held in place by a wire netting 





over the opening. This bowl is filled with alcohol, and 
when a match is touched to it, the temperature of the cabi- 
net can quickly be raised to any desired degree. For vapor- 
baths, a shallow vessel filled with water (or medicated 
liquid, when medicated baths are desired) is placed over the 
flame. Sulphume is used for sulphur baths. A few cents' 
w^orth of alcohol will supply all the heat required for one 
bath. 

The bather sits on a chair, beneath which the heater is 
placed, and the opening in the curtains which cover the 
top must be adjusted to the position of the seated person. 
A Turkish towel is wrapped around the throat, outside, 
shutting in the steam and preventing any inhalation of the 



238 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

vapor. The face-steamer, which is made to go with these 
cabinets, is a very simple contrivance, Hke an exaggerated 
stove-pipe hat. It is made of rubber cloth, is provided with 
a breathing-tube, and is placed over the head, its brim rest- 
ing on the top of the cabinet. 

-The simplest home-made contrivance for a vapor bath 
(but just as effective as the more elaborate cabinets) is to 
get a box large enough to enclose a person seated in a chair 
— about two and a half feet by four — and in height coming 
an inch or two above the shoulder. The front can be 
slanted from bottom to top — so as to make it square at top 
- — and closed with folding-doors. Over the top, lids, hinged 
on the sides and cut out semi-circularly in the centre to fit 
the neck, shut down after the bather is seated. Wanting 
an alcohol burner, the vapor can be supplied by placing a 
pail of boiling water under the chair; and either renewing 
it, if necessary, or adopting the Irish physician's expedient 
of dropping red-hot irons into it. 

No bath should ever be taken within two hours after 
eating. It increases the comfort and luxury of all baths 
if there is convenience for heating the towels used in drying. 

I have endeavored to impress upon you how much even 
the temper and disposition may be affected by the reten- 
tion in the body of wastes, — matter from which all good 
has been extracted and which as long as it is retained is 
undergoing chemical changes, which make it more and 
more a menace to health. Perfect nutrition cannot exist 
without perfect depuration. Man was not intended to be 
a sedentary animal, and his inactive habits lower his func- 
tions; the blood, from insufficient oxydation, being com- 
pelled to labor under a weight of impurities. Therefore, 
extraordinary means must be resorted to in order to restore 
its purity. 

Very simple expedients can be adopted to secure the bene- 
fits "of a vapor-bath when necessary to meet an emergency. 
When Dr. Barter first introduced his baths in Cork, the 



FEEDING THE BODY THROUGH THE SKIN. 239 

medical fraternity showed no alacrity to recognize their 
great benefits; but here and there were converts who re- 
joiced in their success, and one of them relates how he was 
called to a case of croup. It was a lad of fifteen years, and 
after the family physician had worked over him for several 
hours, giving him deadly drugs and bleeding and blistering 
him, he told the parents that the boy could live but a few 
hours. His mother sent for the other doctor, who found 
the patient strangling for breath and almost unconscious. 
He was lifted upon a cane-seated chair over a pan of hot 
water in which red-hot irons were thrust, and enveloped in 
blankets. In twenty minutes he was in a dripping sweat; 
cold water was poured over him, and then he was wrapped 
in a blanket wrung out of hot water and put back in bed. 
The sweating continued for several hours, during which he 
drank cold water freely; then he was wrapped in a warm 
dry sheet, after which he sank into a restful slumber, from 
which he waked in three hours with ev£ry symptom of the 
disease overcome. The alternations of temperature from 
heat to cold are an important part, when judiciously ap- 
plied, in the full therapeutic value of the Turkish or vapor 
baths. 

Those who wish to gain flesh and those who need fatty 
matter but whose stomachs do not take kindly to its diges- 
tion derive great advantage from massaging with oil after 
the Turkish bath. For this purpose many oils and some 
compounded flesh- and skin-foods are used. Olive, cocoa- 
nut, cotton-seed, almond, and even cod-liver oils have their 
advocates. The last is pronounced so unequalled in results 
as to atone for its disagreeable effluvium. When applying it 
yourself pour a little into the hollow of the palm and rub 
it vigorously into the chest and bosom with a rotary up- 
ward movement. Rub the shoulders well, and carry it 
down the insides of the arms to the wrist, giving special at- 
tention to the bend. Knead the sides from the arm-pits to 
the waist with a rotary motion of the palm; the bend of 



240 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the hips, following down the insides of the legs to the knee- 
caps and the bend beneath them; and the abdomen, begin- 
ning on the right side and kneading upward, across, and 
down on the left. These are the parts which best assimilate 
fatty substances in massage treatment. 

Almost more harm results from sea-bathing than good, 
because discretion is so generally left at home. Used 
rationally, it tends to quicken the general circulation and 
promote increased activity in all the organs of elimination. 
The early morning bath is only fitted for the extremely 
robust and vigorous. j\Iid-morning, or any time up to 
12 o'clock M., is the best time. It is most injudicious to 
remain in very long ; as, no matter how much it may be en- 
joyed, the protracted immersion prevents the necessary 
reaction and causes temporary congestion and stagnation 
of the liver and intestines, retarding their functional ac- 
tivity. 

Those who have not the courage to plunge in immediately 
can derive little benefit from the bath and are often injured 
by it. Every fresh breaker is a repetition of the first shock, 
and their impact should not be received upon the head or 
the stomach. Always turn the side to the incoming wave. 
The temperature of the water and the reactive strength of 
the constitution must determine the length of the bath. 
Constant activity is necessary while in the w^ater. The 
timorous-clinging to a rope in shallow water is inviting 
suffering, and it is suicidal to stay in till the primary glow 
is replaced by a feeling of chilliness. Only good swim- 
mers should remain in the w^ater as long as fifteen minutes ; 
others in good health may stay from five to six minutes ; 
but weak and feeble ones should come out in three or four 
minutes ; and the delicate invalid should not take more than 
two or three dips. 

Those who are uncertain of the effect of sea-bathing can 
with advantage consider themselves invalids, too, the first 
time ; and take no more than three or four dips. Irritation 



SEA-BATHING AND ELECTRICAL BATHS. 24I 

of the skin, from its increased activity and also the action 
of the salts, is sometimes a troublesome result of sea-bath- 
ing; and under such conditions it is injudicious to continue 
the practice, as it might produce a very annoying and 
obstinate eruption. 

The public mind is in rather a foggy state concerning the 
therapeutic value of electric baths ; but so great improve- 
ments are being made in the application of electricity, that 
this uncertainty must soon yield before the tremendous 
flood of data that experience is accumulating on this sub- 
ject. The baths must, however, under anything like present 
conditions of general information, require skilled applica- 
tion in order to bestow their full benefit. Electricity is too 
subtle an agent to be trusted to other hands. Of its marvel- 
lous revivifying powders, there can be no question. Rheu- 
matism, sciatica, lumbago, neuralgia, and most disorders of 
the nerves are greatly benefited and usually cured by these 
baths; and the exhausted brain-worker should experience 
a feeling of great mental buoyancy and exhilaration after a 
single bath. 

I must add here the formulae for two bath-soaps which 
are excellent for their respective uses. The first is highly 
commended by the French Royal Academy of Medicine : 

BAZIN'S PATE AXERASIVE. 

Powder of bitter ahnonds 8 ounces 

Oil of bitter almonds 12 ounces 

Green soap 8 ounces 

Spermaceti 4 ounces 

Soap powder 4 ounces 

Cinnabar 2 drachms 

Essence of rose i drachm 

Melt the soap, spermaceti, and oil In a bain-marie as di- 
rected for cold-creams, add the powder, and beat the whole 
together in a marble mortar or earthen bowl with a silver 
spoon. Add the perfume last of all. Violet or any pre- 
ferred odor can be substituted at pleasure. 



242 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



For removing trifling stains from tiie skin or nails and 
rubbing down callosities on the hands or feet this erasive 
soap is fine : 

PONCINE SOAP. 

White soft-soap ;^ pound 

Olive-oil 3 ounces 

Powdered pumice-stone 4 ounces 

Essence of violet i drachm 

Melt the first two together, then stir in the pumice- 
stone, for which any fine silicious sand may be substituted. 
Mould into cakes or balls and set on a tray or board to 
harden and dry. Remember that all soaps improve with 
age. 

Should there be any difficulty in obtaining some of the 
herbs called for do not be discouraged. Omit one when 
necessary, but continue searching and inquiring for it. My 
experience has been that a demand for a thing generally 
finds someone with sufficient commercial enterprise to try 
to satisfy it. Except where indicated, in the case of formula 
centuries old which have been recorded as a matter of 
curiosity, all the formulae herein given have been and are 
being compounded all the time. The French make so much 
greater use of perfumes and herbs than we do that some 
things are in common demand there that are seldom asked 
for here. When the demand arises, our chemists will prob- 
ably prove themselves equal to the occasion offered them 
to increase their trade. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

woman's crowning glory. 

" Her cap of velvet could not hold 
The tresses of her hair of gold, 
That flowed and floated like the stream, 
And fell in masses down her neck." 

" Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare, 
And beauty draws us with a single hair." 

Woman's crown of golden or ebon tresses has been the 
theme of poet and subject of painter since the one wrote 
sonnets or odes and the other tried to limn in imperish- 
able pigments the beauty that had taken his fancy captive. 
And it is impossible for the cultivated taste to form a con- 
ception of a beautiful woman whose face is not framed and 
fittingly set under this natural crown. 

Really beautiful hair — and its beauty may be of color or 
texture- — possesses a witchery all its own, and is quite 
capable of redeeming many a plain face, and even deluding 
us into the belief that it has a certain attraction. While a 
luxuriously abundant chevclure is usually an enviable en- 
dowment, yet quantity alone is by no means so important 
as texture and color, or rather light; a something that glints 
and changes and glows like a thing of life. Even ebon- 
black tresses may possess this charm of changing shades, 
like the bloom on velvet, if they have the necessary texture 
and suppleness. 

As mankind advanced from savagery, and with each step 

243 



244 "^^^ WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

in his development became more sensitive to things beau- 
tiful, the hair took rank as something more than a mere 
covering for the scalp and a protection from the weather. 

In biblical times it was a disgrace to be bald, and the 
term " baldhead " was one of reproach. Among the ancient 
Eastern nations, men as well as women wore long hair, and 
carried its curling and dressing and the use of aromatic 
pomatums upon it to great extremes. Among the Gauls, 
too, we find both sexes esteemed long hair. When con- 
quered by Julius Csesar they were compelled to cut their 
hair in token of submission. 

Caesar, being bald himself, must have thoroughly appre- 
ciated the penalty he inflicted; for it is related that of all 
the honors bestowed upon him by Rome, he valued most 
highly the privilege of wearing always his crown of laurel 
which concealed his baldness. 

The ancient Britons were extremely proud of their abun- 
dant, flowing blonde locks, and to increase their bright- 
ness they used a mixture of lime, vegetable ash, and tallow. 
They shaved the entire face except the (ipper lip, where 
they allowed a moustache of most inconvenient length to 
grow. The greatest disgrace one of their women could 
sufifer was to have her hair cut oiT, — the penalty inflicted 
upon an unfaithful wife. 

Wherever history chronicles the custom of men's wear- 
ing long hair, we find it carried, before the passing of the 
fashion, to so great extremes as to mark a period of de- 
cadence. A Norman bishop acquired great honor and dis- 
tinction by preaching, in 1104, at the court of Henry I. 
against the folly and vanity of the long, curled, and per- 
fumed locks afTected by the elegants of that day; and he so 
moved the king that he and his courtiers submitted to be 
shorn of their flowing locks by the zealous prelate him- 
self. 

The enthusiasm was, however, only temporary, and the 
fashion of longxurls had so strong a hold that it was re- 



THE PRIDE OF ANCIENT PEOPLES IN THEIR HAIR. 245 

vived and continued till 1129. At that time another brief 
reformation resulted from a knight's dream, in which he 
believed himself overcome by an enemy who smothered 
him in his luxuriant curls. But once more man's vanity 
was stronger than his prudence, and he was not again in- 
veigled into relinquishing his effeminate locks till wigs came 
into vogue and gave dignity to all ranks. 

The Arabs value their hair so highly that they sacrifice 
it after every visit to Mecca, the ceremony being the solemn 
concluding act of the pilgrimage. In the same spirit, the 
Levites who assisted the priests in the discharge of duties, 
and kept guard round the Tabernacle and, later, about the 
Temple, cut their hair when initiated into office; and the 
priestly tonsure of the Roman Church is a survival of this 
custom. In Greece also the shaving of the hair was a 
sacrificial act, and sometimes done on the graves of loved 
ones, the " mourning-locks " being left upon the grave. 

The refined taste of the Greeks recognized the hair as one 
of Nature's most attractive endowments, and they paid 
much attention to its care and arrangement. Position in 
life, from serfdom to highest estate, was indicated tSy the 
length of the hair. Even in Sparta, where ornament of all 
description was severely restrained, clan, rank, and age 
could be recognized by the cut of the hair. 

In Athens, curly hair was much esteemed; and in that 
long-ago, the hairdressers made countless experiments and 
taxed their ingenuity to devise ways and means by which 
to produce artificially a lasting curl. Blonde locks, too, 
were greatly coveted and admired ; and, another proof that 
there is nothing new under the sun, bleaching and dyeing 
to counterfeit golden locks was a profitable business then. 

In King Solomon's days of splendor and glory, his horse- 
guards strewed their heads with gold-dust till they glittered 
in the sun ; and in Rome's palmy days we find her. belles 
and matrons giving a golden sheen to their well-cared -for 
tresses in the same way. 



246 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

While the condition of the hair is largely a matter of 
physical health, yet certain characteristics are the result of 
fastidious care and cultivation. No uncared-for hair can 
be beautiful, and in nothing is personal neglect more plainly 
manifested. Unkempt, *' touselly " hair, powdered with 
dandruff, is as repulsive a sight as nails in mourning; and, 
alas ! afBicts our eyes much more frequently. The reason 
being, I suppose, not so much because of the longer time 
required to give the hair proper care, as that we cannot 
" see oursel's as others see us "; and there is an unfortunate 
amount of ignorance on the subject of just what regimen 
and treatment constitutes proper care of the hair. 

That this should be so is not very surprising when you 
realize what contradictory rules are from time to time set 
forth with all the force of experience and learned authority. 
The writers of these misleading directions fail utterly to 
realize, and make allowance for, the constitutional peculiari- 
ties of human beings which make it necessary that rules 
should be accepted only as general guides, to be adapted 
and modified according to individual idiosyncrasies. 

It would be impossible to estimate how many fine heads 
of hair have been sacrificed to that destroying rake, the 
wire hair-brush ; and, indeed, many, many locks have fallen 
victims to over-brushing — even with bristle brushes — since 
the unfortunate dictum went forth that a hundred strokes 
of the brush, night and morning, was a sovereign remedy 
for scanty, dry, or falling hair. Did you ever take a rake 
and rake the young spring grass on the lawn, and did you 
ever notice at the time how impossible it was to hold the 
rake so carefully as to avoid pulling up many a tender green 
shoot of the young grass with the top Htter? Weh, much 
of the brushing of the hair we see done has the same effect ; 
and especially when a stifif, penetrating brush is used, and 
with each blow it is brought down through the whole length 
of the hair. 

A brush should never be touched to the hair with other 



INJURIOUS TREATMENT OF THE HAIR. 247 

than a gentle, caressing motion ; its first office is that of a 
poHsher, to spread the natural oil exuding from the scalp 
over the hair, and give it a satiny gloss; and, secondarily, 
as a cleaner, to wipe off the surface soil, that is, the dust and 
dirt manifold of the polluted atmosphere in which it is the 
fate of a large part of mankind to pass their lives. The 
brush cannot penetrate to the scalp, through a heavy mass 
of hair, to remove any accumulation of dirt and dandrui¥ 
there without carrying away with it very much of the crop 
of hair also ; while, at the same time, if stifif enough to per- 
form this office, it impairs the delicacy and integrity of the 
epidermis. This barbarous (no pun intended) use of the 
hair-brush should with that of the fine-tooth comb be rele- 
gated to " innocuous desuetude." 

To understand the rationale of what constitutes a hy- 
gienic regimen for the hair a brief description of its struc- 
ture and the conditions that favor growth is necessary. If 
there were less ignorance upon the subject there would be 
fewer deplorable mistakes in its treatment; and women 
would be more chary of squandering money on dyes, 
bleaches, and tonic nostrums ; the use of which in countless 
cases is the forerunner of a long train of evils. 

Chemically speaking, the hair is composed of the same 
elements which enter into the structure of our nails, as also 
into that of the feathers and claws of birds, and the horns 
and hoofs of animals. It is a modification of the growth 
of the cuticle, or epidermis, and formed in minute tube-like 
depressions, called follicles, which are most cunningly 
packed in among the intricate coils of the sebaceous and 
sudoriparous, or sweat, glands in the sub-cutaneous tissues. 
Like the structure of the skin, that of the hairs also is cel- 
lular. It is a popular error that every hair is a tube, hence 
bleeds at the end when broken or split and should be singed. 

The hair-papillge, resting in these follicles, are " made up 
of undeveloped, nucleated connective-tissue cells com- 
mingled with a few fibres." They are highly vascular, hav- 



248 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Ing a fine capillary network of blood-vessels in the interior 
supplying them with nutriment; and two arteries enter 
every papilla, unite near its summit, and subdivide into 
minute capillaries, making their exit from the papilla as 
veins. From these wonderfully intricate microscopic or- 
gans the hairs receive their nourishment and all the ele- 
ments of their growth. The pith of every hair is formed 
of loosely packed cells, while the outer portion is made up 
of fibres or flattened elongated cells which overlap one an- 
other like the scales on a fish. Technically, we call the 
projecting part of the hair its shaft, while its root is con- 
cealed and protected by the follicle. The root terminates 
in a bulb, a soft, pulpy knob resting on the papilla which 
grasps it with clinging cells. 

The growth of the hair is a continual pushing upwards 
of the constantly forming cells from the soft bulbs of the 
hair, and they carry with them the granules of coloring 
matter, which are furnished by the very tip of the papilla. 
In conditions of depressed physical health the formative 
process is delayed, may even become quite torpid, and the 
languid, weakened cells loosen their grasp upon each other ; 
then a stricture in the follicle separates them and the ex- 
terior shaft falls. Nothing but atrophy of the papillae, how- 
ever, terminates the growth of hair-cells ; another hair will 
be put forth, only, in sympathy with the lowered vitality, 
it may be weaker, it may lose color, and its growth will be 
slower. 

It is upon the shape of the shaft of the hair that its ability 
to curl depends. In a healthy state every hair has an 
acutely-sharp, absolutely typical, point. One so fine, so 
perfect, that it is said it puts to the blush the sharpest point 
that man has ever been able to make. If through disease 
the point of the hair becomes broken and split, it should be 
cut ofif, for without this precaution the break will extend 
farther up the shaft. The medulla, or pith, retains the per- 
fect cellular character alluded to above till it approaches the 




Hair-Follicle ; Greatly Magnified. 
I. Hair root; 2, papilla; 3, 4, 5, 6, three layers of membrane, a 
depression from the rete niucosuni, varying slightly in structure, each 
from the other, and forming the lining of the hair-follicle; 7, 8, 
erector muscles; 9, compound sebaceous gland; 10, hair-shaft; 11, 
simple sebaceous gland. 



250 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

point, where it is entirely lost. Naturally, it is more promi- 
nent in coarse hair than in fine; and, being the more re- 
cently formed portion of the shaft, the cells are still chang- 
ing, and between them there is more or less space for air, 
which tends to give a white color to the hair. It is sup- 
posed to be a sudden volume of air or gas projected into 
the shaft by the shock of pain or fear which causes the 
phenomenal turning of the hair white in a few hours, or 
even less time. 

The flattened and elongated cells between the medulla and 
the epithelial, or outer, coating of the shaft, form its bulk 
and give to the hair its strength. The granules of pigment 
are interspersed between these cells or fibres, — which are 
also themselves colored, — and in the lighter colored hairs 
there are also a few air-cells; but in black hair the greater 
number of pigment-granules fill all the space. The pecu- 
liarity of the epithelium is its minute overlapping cells, all 
running towards the point. Though invisible to the eye 
they are distinctly perceptible to the touch, and you have 
but to draw a loose hair through your fingers to recognize 
which is the root end, as it will feel perfectly smooth when 
drawn downward and rough in the reverse motion. This 
quality is a great assistance to the hairdresser and all work- 
ers in hair. 

Transverse sections of hair-shafts disclose irregularities 
in shape, and here we see strong national characteristics. 
The hair of the Aryan races has an oval outline; that of the 
Semitic is more or less angular ; that of the Chinese and 
East Indian is quite cylindrical ; as is also that of the North 
American Indian; and the hair of the negro is eccentrically 
elliptical. The more ovoid the outline of the shaft the curlier 
the hair. Another property of the fibrous cells which gives 
strength to the hair is their elasticity and resilience, which 
imparts to the hair on the average the ability to be stretched 
one third its normal length. In straight, or cylindrical, 
hair these fibrous cells range themselves regularly around 



THE STRUCTURE OF THE HAIR. 251 

the pith, and thus the tension is equal on all its sides, which 
prevents any inclination for the hair to twist upon its cen- 
tral axis, and therefore holds it in a straight and orderly 
path. 

The delightful, wavy, flufTy hair, always coveted by 
woman, owes its charm of irregularity to its irregularity of 
structure, which causes an uneven tension of the elastic 
fibres that in the ovoid hair are necessarily grouped about 
the pith unequally. It wih be readily seen from this how 
futile all efforts must be to give to straight hair a perma- 
nent artificial curl. The hair has also a great affinity for 
moisture, — called its hygroscopic property; and, conse- 
quently, when it has been stretched and dried in an ab- 
normal curl, as soon as it is exposed to moisture, it absorbs 
it, and the resilient fibres relax and exasperatingly untwist. 

As a rule the hair-follicles descend into the skin obliquely, 
and this it is which gives a natural "^set " or direction to 
the growth of the hair, sometimes occasioning much annoy- 
ance because of its obstinacy in refusing to lie in the desired 
direction. 

Every follicle has one or more sebaceous, or oil, glands 
emptying secretions near its orifice. In a healthful state of 
the scalp this natural supply of oil to the follicle and hair 
is all that is required. If from neglect it be allowed as it 
exudes to dry at the outlet, it forms an unsightly scurf; 
mingling with the excretions from the sweat-glands, the 
natural exfoliations or scaling of the cuticle, — a wearing-out 
process always in operation, — and more or less dirt and dust 
from the atmosphere. This is the dandruff which many 
people suppose a disease, but which is only a flagrant mark 
of neglect, though it may in time produce annoying disor- 
ders of the scalp. Shampooing is the only agent which can 
remove it, but massage is the sovereign remedy which will 
eradicate its tendency to form ; full directions for which 
will be given in connection with the treatment of the hair 
in health and disease. 



252 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Concerning the color of the hair, the variation is due to 
the different proportions of the chemicals which form the 
coloring pigment. And it is this fact which accounts for 
the different shades of color which the use of the same hair 
dye will often — and usually does — cause. 

Blonde hair is the richest in oxygen and sulphur, but has 
less hydrogen and carbon than hair of any other color. 

Brown hair has the largest proportion of carbon, and a 
smaller ratio of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulphur. 

Red locks have some iron, a large quantity of sulphur, 
and some reddish oil. 

Black hair contains a larger proportion, comparatively, 
of oxygen and sulphur, and a smaller amount of hydrogen 
and carbon. 

White hair contains the phosphate of magnesia and a 
whitish oil besides the sulphate of alumina ; and, in the 
aged, there is also a large amount of phosphate of lime. 

The bulk of the hair is composed of a nitrogenous or 
animal substance, called keratin, and it is soluble jn alka- 
lies, with the formation of ammonia, and strong sulphuric 
acid. It is this property which yields so bad an odor when 
hair is burned; and also exposes it to destruction from the 
chemical action of many of the minerals employed in dyes 
and bleaches. Attached to the side of the hair-follicle are 
little muscles which run diagonally upward from its lower 
portion. These are the crcctorcs pili, or erector muscles. 
It is the contraction of these through the action of cold or 
fear that causes '' goose-flesh " (cutis anscriiia), and, on top 
of the head, makes the hair " to stand on end." These 
curious muscles are more strongly developed in some of 
the brutes than in man, of which fact the cat and dog fre- 
quently give us striking proof. 

A single hair is said to bear the strain and weight of four 
ounces, — this, of course, is the average; some will bear 
more and some less, — and there are from 80,000 to 120,000 
hairs on an average head. The hair grows at the rate of 



ON THE FREQUENCY OF SHAMPOOING. 253 

from five to seven inches in a year; and, being unfavorably 
affected by the cold, its growth is more rapid in summer 
than in the winter. 

It is a mistake to suppose that the hair is deciduous, and 
shed annually, as birds molt their feathers, and some of the 
brute creation change their coats. Human hair is peren- 
nial, and unless it is severed from the follicle by violence, 
or its nourishment is deranged from physical weakness, it 
win retain its vigor and integrity till late in life. There is, 
of course, a slight shedding going on all the time, — fulfilling 
the law of the survival of the fittest, — but this is not sur- 
prising when we know how delicate is its structure. 

It has been remarked that California women have ex- 
ceedingly beautiful hair, abundant, glossy, and supple; and 
this is easily accounted for by reason of the mild and 
favorable climate, severe cold being inimical to the growth 
and health of the hair. Although the head needs protection 
from the elements, it should not be covered by weighty, 
constricting, air-tight structures, which are in reality 
^' sweat-boxes," and very injurious to the hair. In favor- 
able weather sun baths are excellent for the hair, and the 
more women go bareheaded in summer the better for their 
" crown of glory." 

Coincident with the rage for over-brushing there has 
reigned a mania for over-shampooing, on the principle, I 
suppose, that if a thing were good you couldn't have too 
much of it. But the one has been as fatal to fine heads of 
hair as the other; and both have, as over-irritants, much to 
answer for. 

The frequency of shampooing must be regulated by the 
character of the hair, and the sort of atmosphere to which 
it is exposed, which varies, naturally, according to occupa- 
tion and states of the weather. When the frolic wind is 
blowing at sixty miles an hour, and in one fell swoop hurls 
your allotted peck of dirt upon your head, the resulting con- 
dition is such as would not be paralleled in an ordinary 



254 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

month of living. Except for some such unusual conditions, 
not even the most oily heads of hair should be shampooed 
oftener than once in two weeks. Usually once a month is 
quite often enough, and in the case of very dry hair even a 
longer interval — say six weeks — is a good rule. 

In every case where there is a tendency to baldness and 
great loss of hair, shampooing should be omitted except 
when cleanliness absolutely demands it, for you deprive it 
of its natural oil and fairly wash the life away. The expe- 
rience of men in this respect ought to be an object-lesson 
to women, for the convenience of their short hair has made 
them always ready victims of the shampoo habit; which, 
together with their other baleful habit of keeping their hats 
on, accounts for the very high average of early cases of 
baldness and thin hair among men in civilized life. 

There is no better shampoo for the hair than an Qgg^ 
well-beaten wuth about an ounce of water, and rubbed 
thoroughly into the scalp. It is not merely a detergent, 
cleansing the scalp and hair of the dirt, but is tonic in its 
effect and strengthens the scalp. The yolk contains natural 
food for the hair, iron and sulphur; while the white, being 
a mild alkali, finds its congenial mate in the oil from the 
sebaceous glands, and they mingle in a saponaceous 
lather. It should be thoroughly massaged into the scalp 
with a rotary motion, beginning in front over the forehead 
and going back to the crown, then forward to the temples, 
and back and forth, till the fingers of the two hands meet at 
the nape of the neck. 

It should not be a harsh motion nor pull the hair in the 
least. The palmer surfaces of the nail phalanges of the 
fingers must press the scalp firmly but gently so that you 
will feel it move under them. This massage restores elas- 
ticity and tone to the scalp, and stimulates both it and the 
hair-follicles remarkably. 

The hair must be thoroughly rinsed, first in warm water, 
then — if preferred — in cold, to secure reaction. If for this 



HYGIENIC CARE OF THE HAIR. 255 

the head can be held under running water, or sprayed with a 
douche, so much the better. Of course, long hair must 
be gathered up in loose locks or braids and well lathered 
and rubbed between the palms, before the rinsing begins. 
Wipe the hair as dry as possible in warm towels. In warm 
weather it is a simple operation to finish the task in the 
open air and sunhght, but in winter it is often necessary 
to hold the head in a current of warm air and to fan it in 
order to facilitate the drying. 

Finish the operation with a dry massage, and when every 
particle of moisture has evaporated, if the tendency of the 
scalp is to dryness, rub in a Httle olive-oil, or any simple 
pomatum of whose purity and freshness there is not the 
slightest suspicion. Exceeding nicety must be observed 
concerning this matter, for rancid oil acts as a corrosive ir- 
ritant and will itself cause excessive dandruff. Its continued 
use will induce serious scalp diseases. 

An excellent French pomatum which stimulates the fol- 
licles and papillae and will therefore encourage the growth 
of the hair and arrest its falling is made by this formula : 

VASELINE POMATUM. 

White vaseline 3 ounces 

Castor oil (cold drawn) i^ ounces 

Gallic acid i^ drachms 

Oil of lavender 30 drops 

Vaseline is one of the best oleaginous substances which 
can be applied to the scalp and possesses the advantage over 
animal grease of never growing rancid. It is so penetrat- 
ing in character that it really goes to the root where it is 
needed, and I have known the careful and regular use of 
it alone to arrest falling hair in a few weeks. Of course it 
is troublesome to apply, but no more so than any oil; for 
it is well understood in these days that it is to the scalp 
alone that these substances must be applied, and every effort 
must be made to keep them from the hair itself. 



256 THE WO.MAN BEAUTIFUL. 

I do not understand the prejudice existing in some qual- 
ters against the use of cosmohne, vaseline, and other petro- 
leum products upon the hair. There lie before me now the 
dictums of several so-called skin and hair specialists who 
pronounce against their use in unqualified terms, but that 
their prejudice is based upon ignorance is proved by facts. 
The French, who are past masters in all cosmetic arts, are 
making extensive use of these substances and with the most 
gratifying success. The following is also very nourishing: 

ROSEMARY UXGUEXT. 

Oil of rosemary i ounce 

Oil of almonds 3 ounces 

Oil of mace S5 drops 

Remember always that adding grease of any sort to oily 
hair is like deluging over-watered fields, and jeopardizes 
the integrity of the roots. When oil is required, the liquid 
substances are more congenial to the scalp than the solid 
ones. " Hard pomatum," which contains wax, is most in- 
jurious of all, *' an absolute absurdity and hair-poison," be- 
cause clogging and actually sealing up the pores of the 
scalp. The bland oils, like olive, cocoa-nut, almond, and 
behen, — Cucuhaliis bcJicii, — are, as a rule, the best basis ; 
while the addition of oil of rosemary or oil of thyme — the 
origanum of the shops — will impart stimulating properties 
beneficial to both scalp and hair-follicle. 

An excellent shampoo is made of a decoction of quillai 
bark, a saponaceous plant, — Qiiillaya saponaria, — native of 
Chili; and the Chilian women are said to owe their abun- 
dant and beautiful hair to its frequent use. A small piece 
of the bark when agitated in hot or tepid water yields a 
fine lather. An English formula which I have not tried, but 
which would agree with oily hair and assist in correcting 
unpleasantly profuse perspiration, has a well-beaten egg, a 
spoonful of powdered borax, half as much violet ammonia, 
" and as much subcarbonte of potash as will lie on a three- 



THE BEST SHAMPOOS. 257 

penny bit," beaten all together in one quart of warm water. 
•Wash the hair thoroughly in it, using the rotary massage 
movements as described above, and finish the process in the 
same way. 

The following is also a good shampoo for oily hair: 

SHAMPOO LIQUID. 

Bay rum 2 quarts 

Alcohol I pint 

Water i pint 

Tincture of cantharides i ounce 

Carbonate of ammonia ^ ounce 

Carbonate of potash i ounce 

Dissolve the carbonates in the water; mix the other 
ingredients, and add all together, agitating thoroughly. 
Use from flask or bottle with a drop-stopper, so that you 
can sprinkle the lotion thoroughly over the whole head. 
Part the hair with the fingers of one hand while you 
sprinkle with the other; in this way you will be sure to wet 
the scalp as w^ell as the hair. Massage as before, and let the 
liquid dry into the hair and scalp. 

A simple shampoo liquid which is always available, and 
is useful when there is an excessive accumulation of atmos- 
pheric dirt, is to melt a cake of white Castile soap in a quart 
of boiling water. It makes a simple and mild soft-soap or 
saponaceous jelly, and can be kept in convenient wide- 
mouthed jars. When shampooing the hair, wet it first with 
warm water, then take about two tablespoonfuls of the soft- 
soap with a saltspoonful of soda and rub it thoroughly over 
the hair, being sure to reach the scalp, and gather the long 
ends of hair up on the crown so they can be well lathered 
also. Massage before rinsing and while rinsing. Several 
waters will be required, and the last, of cold water, must 
not be so cold as to shock. And in this connection the 
caution should be given that daily shower-baths on the 
head are an irritant and often very injurious, causing the 



258 THE WOMAX BEAUTIFUL. 

hair to deteriorate, and often producing acute alopecia, or 
falling hair. If the shower is an esteemed part of the daily, 
bath which would be relinquished with reluctance, the hair 
can be protected by an oil-silk cap. 

In choosing a shampoo it is well to consider the efifect 
of certain chemicals on different-colored hair. Ammonia 
and soda brighten light and golden hair, but as they are 
drying they must be used with care and their effect closely 
watched, remembering always that what may agree with 
one will not with another. Dark-haired persons should use 
yolk of egg, subcarbonate of potash or borax, and warm 
rain-water. For brunettes red wine — California claret — 
with an egg and soda beaten up in it is said to be especially 
beneficial; for the red wine takes its color from the skin of 
the black grapes of which it is made, and, therefore, con- 
tains tannin, which is an excellent tonic for the scalp and 
hair-roots. An absolutely harmless shampoo which will 
brighten light-colored hair is made of equal parts of honey 
and rhubarb stalks steeped in three parts of white wine. 
Let it stand for twent^'-four hours, strain, and use as a 
lotion, wetting the entire hair, massaging, wiping, and leav- 
ing it to dry in. 

Other saponaceous pastes commended by a German 
specialist are, glycerine soap dissolved in spirits of wine, 
or two parts potash soap — the " green " soap of the 
chemists — in one part alcohol. After shampooing with 
either, a thorough saturation of the scalp with olive-oil is 
to follow the drying of the hair. The following formula 
has both cleansing and stimulating properties. After wet- 
ting the whole scalp and thoroughly massaging it, the 
cream may be rinsed off with warm water, or allowed to dry 
into the scalp and hair. 

SHAMPOO CREAM. 

New England rum i pint 

Bay rum< , ^ pint 



TREATMENT MUST BE ADAPTED TO KIND OF HAIR. 259 

Glycerine 2 ounces 

Carbonate of potash ^ ounce 

Borax „ Yz ouqce 

Carbonate of ammonia ^ ounce 

Dissolve the carbonates and borax in the pint of rum and 
put the glycerine in the bay rum, agitate till thoroughly 
incorporated, then put all together and shake well. 

SHAMPOO FOR MOIST HAIR. 

Cologne or lavender-water 4 ounces 

Borax jounce 

Rose-water 3 ounces 

Tincture of cochineal jounce 

Put the borax and tincture in the Cologne ; agitate till 
borax is dissolved, then add rose-water. This can be used 
like the " cream," massaged into the scalp and left to dry. 

A TONIC SHAMPOO. 

Borax i ounce 

Bicarbonate of soda >4 ounce 

Camphor i drachm 

Glycerine ^ ounce 

Rose-water i quart 

Alcohol. 2 ounces 

Dissolve camphor in alcohol, and add to the other in- 
gredients, previously mixed. 

For curling the hair, recourse should be had to the curl- 
ing-iron only in emergencies, when there is no time for 
other methods. Its habitual use is very injurious to the hair, 
drying and ultimately destroying its fibre. There are some 
methods of treating the hair which will promote waviness 
by keeping it for a time in a condition between dryness and 
humidity, so that diflferent parts will be unequally afifected 
and, in consequence, acquire varying degrees of tension. 
One method is to shampoo the hair with soapy water in 
which a few grains of carbonate of potash have been dis- 



26o THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

solved. While the hair is still moist it must be loosely 
dressed as desired. The effect comes as it dries. Another 
method is to moisten the hair with strong rosemary-water, 
black tea, or aromatic vinegar, in which ten or twelve grains 
of the carbonate of potash to a half-pint of the tonic have 
been dissolved. Brush this in, and dress the hair before it 
dries, as directed above. 

The French furriers and felt-manufacturers have a 
method called " secretagc " for waving hair, a modified form 
of which is sometimes applied to living human hair, but the 
process is extremely dangerous and I record it here as 
much for the purpose of warning against it as to gratify 
curiosity. Cooley describes it as follows: 

" The hair is moistened for rather more than one half its 
length w^ith the sccrcfage liquid, care being taken that 
neither the liquid, nor the hair, until it has been subsequently 
washed, touches the skin. The operation is conducted before 
a fire, or in a current of warm air, so that the hair may dry 
as quickly as possible. The moistened hair is loosely ad- 
justed into the desired positions, or into one favorable for 
its contraction, or, when partly dry, it is 'put up' in greased 
curl-papers. In a few hours, or sooner, the hair is washed 
with tepid water (without soap), dried, and slightly oiled. 
On being now gently combed and brushed, it generally 
shrinks up into small crisped or wavy locks; and it will 
generally retain this property for two or three weeks, or 
even much longer." 

The danger in the operation is the corrosive character 
of the secretage liquid which is composed of one drachm of 
quicksilver dissolved in two ounces of aquafortis (nitric 
acid). Before use it is diluted with half its volume of water. 
It has been applied to vigorous hair without immediately 
harmful results ; but there are instances where it has pro- 
duced most unpleasant and disastrous consequences ; and 
it can never be considered as other than an extremely haz- 
ardous operation. 



MANY METHODS OF CURLING THE HAIR. 261 

There are many simple bandolines and mucilaginous 
fluids which will aid in keeping the hair in curl; and though 
their constant use is deprecated as tending to, cause a de- 
terioration in the structure of the hair, when used occa- 
sionally they are harmless; and in certain states of the at- 
mosphere they may be said to aid greatly in preserving a 
woman's appearance and consequently her peace of mind. 

GELEE COSMETIOUE. 

Carrageen moss ^ ounce 

Eau de Cologne i pint 

Extract of millefleur i ounce 

Elder-flower water (or plain distilled) i pint 

The moss is soaked overnight in the water, heated to 
dissolve it, then strained and perfumed. It can be tinted 
with liquid carmine or tincture of saffron; and is said to be 
quite efficacious. The hair should be moistened with it 
before rolHng on kid-covered curlers. ^ 

BANDOLINE AUX AMANDES. 

Tragacanth ^ ounce . 

Rose-water i pint 

Oil of almonds Yz drachm 

Crush the tragacanth and put it in the rose-water; let 
it stand in a warm place, stirring occasionally, till the gum 
is swollen and softened ; strain it twice, — through a coarse 
cloth, and then a fine one; and finish by adding the almond 
oil and a little carmine or saffron to tint it. 

LAVENDER BANDOLINE. 

Gum arable i ounce 

Coffee sugar ^ ounce 

Spirits of wine 2 ounces 

Lavender-water (Mitcham) 6 ounces 

Bichloride of mercury 6 grains 

Sal-ammoniac 6 grains 

Dissolve the last two in the spirits; pour a half-pint of 
pure hot water over the gum arable and sugar; agitate 



262 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

occasionally; when cold unite with the alcohol and add 
the lavender-water. 

ROXDELETIA BAXDOLIXE. 

Quince seed? I'S drachms 

Water (hot) ^ pint 

Cologne water yi ounce 

Oil of cloves 6 drops 

Oil of lavender 6 drops 

Soak the seeds in the hot water for several hours ; strain 
and add to the resulting mucilage the cologne with which 

the perfumed oils have previously been mingled. 

VIOLET CURLIXG-FLUID. 

Carbonate of potash i% drachms 

Powdered cochineal ^A drachm 

Ammonia-water i drachm 

Extract of violet 4 drachms 

Gh-cerine 2 ounces 

Rectified spirits V-A ounces 

Distilled- or violet- water i pint 

Let mixture digest, with frequent stirring, for one vreek, 
then filter. If the hair be moistened with this fluid when 
dressing it. the effect will be to wave it slightly all over the 
head. A Greek fillet bound about the head while the hair 
is drying will assist in this ; and. if the front hair is short, 
it should be encouraged to dry in a rumpled mass. When 
dry it will comb out into a graceful and becoming fluff, 
more artistic than the regular curls of the crimping-iron or 
the hair-curler. Unless exposed to extreme dampness it 
should retain its crispness for some, days. If the regular 
curls are desired the hair can be moistened with the fluid 
and rolled on bigoudis — the kid-covered hair-curlers — while 
making the rest of the toilet. ^lost hair would dr}* in a 
half-hour: none should take longer than an hour. Instead 
of using the curling fluid, the front hair can be washed with 
tincture of green soap, and after rinsing left to dry in a 



THE HAIR SYMPATHIZES WITH GENERAL HEALTH. 263 

rumpled mass. The effect, at first, will be similar though 
not quite so curly, and its lasting or staying quality will be 
more easily affected by the hygroscopic nature. of the hair. 
Here is one more curling fluid, better adapted to very dry 
hair than the last formula : 

PORTUGAL CURLING-FLUID. 

Gum-arabic mucilage i^ ounces 

Glycerine i]^ ounces 

Carbonate of potash i^ ounces 

Rose-water 2 pints 

Portugal extract 6 ounces 

Dissolve the carbonate in the rose-water, add the glyc- 
erine to the extract, agitate thoroughly, then add the muci- 
lage; after further agitation, put all ingredients together, 
and let stand to digest for a week. 

The hair is most sympathetically affected by the general 
health, and in many cases serves as an- accurate barometer 
of the physical and mental condition. This is not surpris- 
ing when we know how dependent its marvellous organiza- 
tion is upon the absolutely healthful circulation of the scalp 
and the tone of its nerves. Its relations are so close with 
the most sensitive and highly developed organ of the body, 
that, naturally, the depression of bodily illness, mental 
trouble, worry and anxiety, over-study, all nervous tension, 
and everything that disturbs the circulation, checks the nu- 
trition of the hair-roots, with the result that the hair imme- 
diately shows the depressed physical vitality. 

This is the reason that acute illness is so often followed 
by loss of hair ; and sometimes, even in the young, by a 
change in its color. All strictures about the head disturb 
the circulation, and tight dressing of the hair which strains it 
at the roots, and twists or tortures it, is injurious. As a rule, 
it is the front hair and that on the crown which first feels 
the effect of arrested nutrition, and begins to fall ; and, often, 
the treatment the hair receives induces the lowered vitality 



264 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of these parts. The dragging of the hair back from the 
forehead, and especiaUy pihng it up over heating cushions, 
are frequent causes of the trouble; and the central part- 
ing often has all the life scrubbed, dried, and beaten out of 
it. The changing and shifting of the parting from timx to 
time is a good precaution against its thinning to a broad, 
unsightly line ; and it is well also to change the style of 
dressing the hair occasionally, so that the same part of the 
head shall not bear the weight of the coiled or braided hair 
constantly. 

It is an excellent habit for women and girls to give their 
hair sun and air baths as frequently as possible, letting the 
hair flow unconfined over the shoulders. 

A prejudice which has lived its time is the popular error 
that keeping the hair short in childhood will insure a fine 
head of hair for the grown woman. If there had ever been 
any foundation for this error, why are early baldness and 
thin, scanty locks so much more prevalent among men than 
among women? Experience proves that frequent cutting 
of the hair, especially with a robust child, causes it to grow 
coarse and wiry and to lose its brilliancy. Some of the 
most beautiful heads of hair I have seen enjoyed by middle- 
aged and elderly women were said never to have known 
the shears except for the traditional clipping of the tips at 
regular intervals. 

The old superstition of performing this rite during the 
first quarter of the moon has at least the merit of fixing a 
periodical date so that it shall not be overlooked; and there 
is also a right and a wrong way of doing even this simple 
thing. Hair-cutting to be effective must be done on scien- 
tific principles. It must be cut where it is weakest and 
thinnest, about the crown of the head, and along the line of 
partings. In clipping, tmless the hair is falling very fast, 
indicating acute alopecia, the pointed, intact hairs should 
not be trimmed till they reach the maximum length. In 
order to accomplish anything like a thorough clipping of 



HYGIENIC CARE SHOULD BEGIN IN INFANCY. 265 

the Split ends it is necessary to braid the long hair and then 
draw the braids through the fingers upward, so as to ruffle 
up the short hairs. It is easy thus to distinguish between 
the blunt or split ends and the pointed ones. . But the task 
can be much more effectually done by a second person 
than by oneself, and it is therefore best to have recourse to 
the hairdresser when possible. 

It will do much to insure beautiful hair through life if 
its hygienic care begins with the life of the infant. The 
scalp of the new-born babe is covered with a fatty matter — 
the vcrnix cascosa — and if care is not exercised in its prompt 
removal a most unpleasant and unsightly condition of in- 
flammation and scabbiness will result. Part of the first care 
given to the babe should be to anoint the whole head with 
fresh, sweet olive-oil or that of sweet-almonds. After a 
few hours it should be washed with warm water and well 
lathered with soap-bark or Castile soap. The little scalp 
must be handled with utmost gentleness, and neither brush, 
comb, nor harsh towel touched to it, as they might inflict 
serious damage to the hair-follicles. This operation must 
be repeated daily for several weeks, even after the vernix 
cascosa has been entirely removed. It will do much to en- 
courage the permanent strength and health of the hair- 
forming structure. 

After the first ten days, as soon as the scalp begins to 
look firm and strong and does not redden violently under 
gentle manipulation, massage with the finger-tips may be 
given twice or thrice daily. The fingers impart vital 
warmth and electricity which tend greatly to stimulate the 
healthful secretions of all the glands. So valuable is this 
treatment for both young and old that when properly un- 
derstood and appreciated we shall see fewer bald-heads and 
a vastly higher average of beautifully abundant tresses 
than we do now. Massage is to the scalp what physical 
culture is to the body, and not only promotes the growth of 
the hair by exciting to increased activity the minute glands 



266 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

which contribute to the cellular structure, but also prevents 
the relaxing of the muscular layers forming the scalp, 
toning them up to their duty; and by increasing the circula- 
tion prevents atrophy of the papilla and the consequent 
turning of the hair gray. 

When the babe is three months old a weekly shampooing 
and oiling will be sufficient; but, even if the hair has come 
in quite thick, for the first year no comb and only the softest 
brush should be used upon its head. This treatment will 
prevent all the family of eczematous eruptions to which 
some people seem to consider an infant's scalp liable; the 
inception of which, however, is almost always due to care- 
lessness in removing the vernix cascosa and consequent irri- 
tation of the scalp. 

Brushes and combs should be selected with extreme care. 
Economy is out of place here, for cheap brushes are usually 
poor ones w4th harsh, slivery bristles. The expense should 
be in the bristles and not in the back, unless you can afford 
it in both. Stiffer bristles will be required for one head of 
hair than for another; but, remembering the caution al- 
ready given with regard to the proper use of the brush, 
select one adapted to the service required. The clusters of 
bristles should be made up in slightly uneven lengths but 
set evenly in the brush ; in this way they will best penetrate 
the hair and thus perform their cleansing, polishing office. 
Brushes must be washed in borax-softened water, and it 
will stiffen the bristles if the last rinsing-water be a weak 
solution of alum, merely shaking the brush afterwards and 
letting it dry. The best combs are ivory or shell, but the 
indispensable qualities of all should be smoothness and regu- 
larity of well-rounded teeth. One split or rough tooth can 
do a great deal of damage to the hair by splitting and break- 
ing it, as w^ell as inflict some pain. Shell or celluloid hair- 
pins should be used to hold the hair in place. 

Personal 'experience with a wire brush enables me to 
speak authoritatively when I condemn its use and pro- 



THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF DANDRUFF. 267 

nounce it most injurious to any scalp. You might almost 
as well scratch the scalp with pins! 

There is an art also in using the comb, and the manner in 
which some mothers yank one through the tangled locks of 
their offspring ought to bring down upon them a rebuke 
from The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. 
It is not only cruel to the child but it is most injurious to 
the hair. The brush should not be used till all snarls have 
been gently disentangled with the comb, aided sometimes 
by the fingers. If you begin combing below the snarl, even 
the most wind-tossed, obstinate tangles will yield easily. 
Sometimes it is necessary to work both above and below 
alternately, but always the task is more easily accomplished 
if a little common sense and patience are employed instead 
of brute strength. 

Though dandruff is not originally a disease, it may easily 
become the predisposing cause for many disorders of the 
scalp, just as neglect to keep the body clean brings on a 
whole train of evils. A seventeenth-century writer conveys 
this warning concerning it: " This humor suffered overlong 
to reigne on the head, destroyeth and corrupteth the roots 
of the haires, making them to fall off in great plenty, and 
specially in kembing." And the worthy doctor '' coun- 
selled " the following heroic treatment: ''To wash and 
secure the head cleane with good lye wherein let be steeped 
in a linnen bag, of Annis seed, Commin, dried Rosemary, 
Fenegreke [fenugreek, a plant of the genus Trigunella], 
and rinds of Pomegranates, of each like much." 

Seborrhoea appears as an exaggerated case of dandruff, 
but is a functional disease of the sebaceous glands which 
from irritation are overexcited, and their morbid secretions 
accumulate in scales upon the scalp. If these crusts have 
become hardened they should be soaked in olive oil for 
several hours before shampooing the scalp with either an 
egg-shampoo or with the quillia bark. If the scalp is quite 
sensitive the yolks of two eggs beaten up in a half-pint of 



268 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

lime-water will have an excellent effect. Should the crusts 
reform with rapidity and obstinacy, something stronger 
will be needed, and this may be beneficial: 

SHAMPOO LOTION. 

Green soap 2 ounces 

Eau de Cologne 2 ounces 

Mix and agitate till thoroughly incorporated; let stand 
twenty-four hours, occasionally agitating, then strain. To 
be used as directed for other shampoos, massaging the 
scalp thoroughly and rinsing the hair in several warm 
waters; a cold douche at the last will help to contract the 
over-distended sebaceous glands. 

If the case be chronic and of long standing it may be 
necessary to resort to the use of healing unguents acting 
directly upon the glands. For this purpose oxide of zinc 
ointment — formula for which is given in the next chap- 
ter — should be applied; and in the order mentioned, ac- 
cording to the severity of the case, the following are sug- 
gested as specifics: tannic-acid ointment; compound iodine 
ointment; and red iodide of mercury ointment. This con- 
dition, however, indicates some physical disorder, perhaps 
even constitutional, and internal remedies should also be 
taken, so it is best to consult a physician. I give the hint 
only that the general symptoms indicate a need of the sys- 
tem for iron, the hypophosphites, and cod-liver oil. Some 
of the extracts of malt and iron have an excellent effect. 

The opposite condition, a deficiency of the sebaceous 
secretions, called asfcatodes, is usually amenable to hygienic 
treatment, and readily corrected by the use of stimulating 
lotions and oils and regular massage. Another disease 
closely related to astcafodcs is narcosis folliculonuu, a chronic 
inflammation of the hair-follicles which interferes with the 
normal secretions and dries them up. The scalp being very 
dry there is a constant desquamation which gives the hair 
a powdery look Iresembling dandruff, and vigorous brush- 



DISORDERS OF THE SCALP. 269 

ing brings with it liandfuls of hair. Often there are clus- 
ters of gray hairs. Too frequent shampooing of the hair 
with strong soaps; overuse of borax, soda, and ammonia; 
unhygienic dressing of the hair; heating the scalp with 
cushions or a weight of false hair; use of hair dyes; and 
close crimping and curling, especially with a hot iron, are 
all producing causes for this unpleasant disease. The treat- 
ment is the same as for asfcatodcs, and this encouragement 
may be given, that intelligent care will usually overcome 
it and greatly improve both quantity and quality of the hair. 
The rosemary unguent, already given, should be beneficial 
for this condition, and here are others applicable to varying 
symptoms and constitutions: 

STIMULATING UNGUENT. 

Cocoa-nut oil 3 ounces 

Tincture of nux vomica 4^ drachms 

Jamaica bay rum 2 ounces 

Oil of bergamot 40 drops 

PHCENIX POMADE. 

Oil of mace i ounce 

Cocoa-nut oil 2 ounces 

Beef marrow (clarified) 3 ounces 

Lard (purest) 2 ounces 

Camphor ^ drachm 

Put in a bain-marie and melt together by gentle heat; 
strain though muslin into a slightly warmed earthen bowl 
or mortar, and when partly cooled add of 

Oil of cloves 15 drops 

Oil of lavender 15 drops 

Oil of mint 15 drops 

Oil of rosemary 15 drops 

Oil of sage 15 drops 

Oil of thyme 15 drops 

Rectified spirits i ounce 

Balsam of tolu 4 drachms 



270 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Dissolve the tolu in the spirits before adding to the mix- 
ture, which stir till the whole is cold. This being an olla 
podrida of stimulating aromatics, great virtue has been 
claimed for it. 

One formula given for the celebrated Macassar oil long 
endowed, by our English cousins, with wonderful recupera- 
tive, hair-growing powers, is this: 

MACASSAR OIL. 

Oil of almonds i pint 

Alkanet root 2^ ounces 

Oil of cloves 19 grains 

Oil of mace 19 grains 

Oil of rose 19 grains 

Oil of cinnamon i drachm 

Tincture of musk 15 grains 

The alkanet root, coarsely powdered, must be macerated 
in the warm almond-oil until it imparts to the oil a deep 
red color, when strain, and add the other oils.' 

Another formula, essentially different, is given as the re- 
sult of an analysis of the proprietary oil: 

MACASSAR OIL, NO. 2. 

Castor-oil (reddened with alkanet root) i pint 

Rectified spirits 14 pint 

Oil of rosemary 15 drops 

Oil of thyme (white) 15 drops 

Oil of nutmeg 30 drops 

Oil of neroli 10 drops 

Essence of musk 5 drops 

Otto of roses 20 ^ grains 

Mix altogether, agitate for some time; let stand for a 
week; if cloudy and ingredients have not mingled well, 
place the bottle (tightly corked) in hot water for a short 
time; then agitate gently till cold. If there be any resid- 
uum at the bottom, when settled, decant. Of the odors, 
the rose should dominate all others. 



FAMOUS STIMULATING OILS. 27 1 

PORTUGAL OIL. 

Expressed oil of almond i pint 

Oil of bergamot 2 drachms 

Oil of lemon 40 drops 

Oil of neroli 25 drops 

Oil of petit-grain 25 drops 

Oil of Portugal ^ ounce 

Oil of cinnamon 25 drops 

These should mingle readily without heat, but if very cold 
might be submitted to gentle warmth. Should be kept 
closely corked. This is a delightful oil and should be bene- 
ficial. The women of Spain, who are noted for their beau- 
tiful hair, make abundant use of the extract of Portugal, 
which, it will be remembered, is made from the expressed 
oil of the orange-rind. 

A lotion which can be used to advantage alternately with 
these pomatums is made by steeping one pound of rose- 
mary for several hours in rain-water. -There should be a 
quart of water when strained; add to it a half-pint of bay 
rum. A lotion made from a weak extract of the oils of 
thyme and rosemary is also much esteemed in England. 

HERBAL OIL. 

Oil of almond i pint 

Burdock root. ^ pound 

Oil of rosemary Yz ounce 

Oil of thyme ^ ounce 

Oil of bergamot 5 drachms 

Oil of lemon. ." 2 drachms 

Extract of rose (triple) 2 drachms 

Macerate the burdock root in the almond-oil at gentle 
heat for two days; filter and add the other oils. 

CINCHONA POMADE. 

Beef marrow i pound 

Lard ^ pound 

Oil of almond 5 ounces 

Peru balsam 3 drachms 



272 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Cinchona bark 2^/2 drachms 

Oil of cloves 2 drachms 

Oil of lavender 2 drachms 

Macerate the finely powdered bark in the fat for twelve 
liours, put the balsam in the almond-oil at the same time, 
then mix the two compounds and strain; afterwards add 
the essential oils. 

Especially stimulating when the glands are clogged and 
the hair is dry and lustreless is this : 

MERCURY OINTMENT. 

Oil of ergot 2 ounces 

Mercury oleate 2 ounces 

Perfume with violet or lavender. 

Ergot, like tannin, is astringent and arrests the formation 
of scurf. Oil of eucalyptus is also a stimulating agent. It 
must always be borne in mind that different cases and con- 
stitutions require different treatment. Potash, soda, and 
borax are all good to soften the epidermis and diminish 
congestion of the skin, and their action is favorable in all 
conditions indicating ?bnormal activity. They are useful 
also in destroying iticas'.Jlj products ; but excessive use of 
all these caustic remedies is harmful, hence great care must 
be exercised. Chloride of sodium (common salt) has, as a 
rule, a very favorable influence upon the growth of the hair, 
and is emphatically endorsed by some German physicians ; 
but there are people with whom it does not agree at all, 
its stimulation passing into irritation; therefore it, too, 
must be used with caution. 

When the hair is falling. It is easy to determine whether 
the disease is chronic or acute by examining the combings 
for several days. If, from a woman's long hair, one third of 
these are short ones, new growth, that is with points, and not 
more than six inches long, it is acute alopecia. If in short 
hair, the point-hairs should not exceed one fourth or fifth 
of the whole combing. In all cases of alopecia it is well 



TREATMENT FOR FALLING HAIR. 273 

to take internal remedies ; and especially is this the case 
when the disease is chronic, an indication of constitutional 
or hereditary failure to furnish the hair-forming structure 
with proper nutriment. 4 

Hypophosphite of soda is a common prescription which 
under most circumstances acts beneficially and is harmless ; 
but if taken in excess, owing- to its invigorating powers, 
it may induce plethora or fullness of blood, and conse- 
quently may afifect persons liable to inflammatory affections 
most unpleasantly, causing fullness of the head and throw- 
ing too much work on the heart. The dose is five or six 
grains, twice or thrice daily ; but it is best to omit its use 
for a week every fourth or fifth week. Anemic women can 
of course take largei doses than stout, full-blooded persons. 
With the caution that it is always best to seek the personal 
advice of a physician before taking any internal medicine, 
I give here some of Dr. Shoemaker's prescriptions for fall- 
ing hair : 

1. R. Corrosive sublimate i grain 

Glycerine 3 ounces 

Mix: dose, i teaspoonful four t: 1aily. 

2. R. Tincture of jaborandi. 

Dose : 5 to 30 drops in water four times daily. 

3. R. Sulphurous acid 2 ounces 

Syrup of orange-flower 2 ounces 

Mix : dose, i teaspoonful (in water) three times daily. 

4. R. Syrup of hypophosphites 5 ounces 

Aloin 2 grains 

Mix: dose, i teaspoonful three times daily. 

Jaborandi is a comparatively new remedy for the hair, 



274 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

having great vogue of recent years in England, where it was 
launched upon a waiting and eager public as a specific for 
falling hair. It is a South American shrub of the rue family, 
Pilocarpus pinnatifolius. The leaves have been used medici- 
nally for a long time; but the action of muriate of pilocar- 
pine on the growth of the hair was accidentally discovered 
by Dr. Schmitz, who saw new hairs develop on bald spots 
on two persons to whom, for physical ailments, he had 
given hypodermic injections of pilocarpine. 

Further experiments convinced physicians that where the 
disease had not reached a pronounced stage, indicating 
atrophy of the papillae, this treatment might produce per- 
manent results. It is best employed in the form of hypo- 
dermic injections twice a week, the dose being from 0.005 
to o.oio grain. Dr. Pick recommends the same amount to 
be taken internally twice daily. 

This lotion has been used effectively in connection with 
the jaborandi treatment, for hair that was growing gray : 

Terebene i drachm 

Borax i drachm 

Sulphur I drachm 

Lavender-water , 6 ounces 

Bald spots sometimes accompany acute alopecia follow- 
ing severe illness. For such cases the following lotions and 
treatment have brought relief: 

Tincture of cantharides i ounce 

Rectified spirits 2 pints 

Sublimed sulphur i ounce 

Glycerine 8 ounces 

Brush the spots three times daily with a baby-brush for 
five minutes, and wet with the lotion, letting it dry in. 

Once a day, preferably at night, the parts should be 
bathed gently with warm water and dried. Do not rub with 
the towel, but "massage very gently with the finger-tips. 



THE JABORANDI TREATMENT. 2^5 

When young hair begins to grow the foregoing lotion may 
be changed for this : 

STIMULATIISJG HAIR TONIC. 

Violet ammonia Yz ounce 

Rectified spirits 5^ pint 

Sublimed sulphur ^ ounce 

Tincture of cantharides y^ ounce 

Glycerine , 2 ounces 

Phosphate of lime J4 ounce 

Tincture of cinchona ^ ounce 

Should this produce irritation of the skin reduce with the 
same bulk of glycerine and water. 

Another stimulating appHcation is the following: 

NO. 2. 

Oil of mace ^ ounce 

Deodorized alcohol i pint 

Rub this tincture upon the bald or thin spots three times 
daily until the hair begins to come in; then at night only. 
It is better to keep the young hair closely cropped till it 
comes in thick and strong, which will prove that the hair- 
bulbs have been restored to their normal activity. 

Bald spots usually indicate extreme nervous exhaustion 
and call for nerve tonics internally, which, of course, the 
physician should prescribe. Under all circumstances a great 
deal of patience will be required, for recovery is usually 
slow. 

Electricity is also a very valuable agent in promoting cel- 
lular nutrition and revitalizing all nerve and muscle fibres. 
As treatment is given now with static electricity the most 
nervous and delicate persons can take it without discomfort 
or irritation ; and it is rapidly being recognized as an ideal 
agent for restoring tone and strength to debilitated nerves, 
and overcoming the depression and exhaustion due to over- 
work. 



276 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

This French formula contains many stimulating ingre- 
dients which warrant its recommendation for use in cases of 
acute alopecia following severe illness: 

JABORAXDI TOXIC. 

Jaborandi leaves ^ ounce 

Tincture of cinchona 3 ounces 

Tincture of arnica 3 ounces 

^Macerate the leaves in the tinctures for eight days; then 
filter, and add: 

Tincture of cantharides %drachm 

Apply every night from a drop-stoppered bottle, wetting 
the scalp thoroughly, and massaging for five or ten min- 
utes. 

Somewhat similar is this formula: 

OUIXIXE HAIR TOXIC. 

Sulphate of quinine 20 grains 

Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic) 2 drachms 

Extract of jaborandi 2 drachms 

Deodorized alcohol 2 drachms 

Glycerine i ounce 

Ba}' rum 6 ounces 

Elder-flower water, sufficient to make i pint. 

Dissolve the quinine in the alcoholic liquids, then add the 
other ingredients. 

OUIXIXE TOXIC, xo. 2. 

Sulphate of quinine i drachm 

Rose-water 8 ounces 

Rectified spirits 2 ounces 

Dilute sulphuric acid 15 drops 

^lix: then add: 

Gl3'cerine ]/^ ounce 

Essence foyale 6 drops 



VALUABLE TONICS FOR VARIOUS CONDITIONS. 277 

Agitate till solution is complete, and, after standing 
twenty-four hours, decant. 

For scanty, thin hair through heredity or constitutional 
weakness, the following tonic has been prescribed by an 
English woman physician of large practice: 

CANTHARIDES TONIC, NO. i. 
Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic) . . 2>4 ounces 

Jamaica rum 2^ ounces 

Glycerine 5^ ounce 

Sesquicarbonate of ammonia 2 drachms 

Oil of rosemary 20 drops 

Mix; then add: 

Distilled water 9 ounces 

To moist, oily hair, this next lotion will be congenial; 
but it is more cleansing than stimulating, could serve as a 
shampoo, and under no circumstances should be used 
oftener than once a week. A pomade might follow its use 
with advantage, or it could be alternated with the Hair 
Cream, formula for which succeeds this: 

LOTION FOR OILY HAIR. 

Bicarbonate of soda ^ ounce 

Borax jounce 

Cologne water. 2 ounces 

Rectified spirits- i ounce 

Tincture of cochineal 5^ ounce 

Distilled water 16 ounces 

Mix, and agitate thoroughly. 

LANOLINE HAIR CREAM. 

1. Almond cream i drachm 

Chloride of pilocarpine ^ drachm 

Glycerine i ounce 

2. Oil of amygdalin i ounce 

Lanolin i drachm 

Otto of roses 8 drops 



278 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

3. Tincture of cantharides 2 drachms 

Elder-flower water 4 ounces 

Mix separately the first two lots; add No. 2 to No. I, 
gradually, stirring all the time; then pour in No. 3 in a slow, 
fine stream, stirring constantly to prevent the emulsion 
from separating. This is cleansing and emollient, as well as 
stimulating; but has the disadvantage of being quite ex- 
pensive. 

An excellent lotion for hot, muggy weather when the 
hair is heavy with moisture is the following: 

CAMPHOR-JULEP LOTION. 

Price's glycerine i ounce 

Cologne water ^ pint 

Violet ammonia i drachm 

Tincture of cantharides i ounce 

Oil of origanum Yz drachm 

Oil of rosemary >4 drachm 

Agitate for ten minutes, then add: 

Camphor-julep ^ pint 

To make the julep, triturate a \ drachm of camphor with 
five drops of deodorized alcohol until reduced to a powder; 
then add gradually, with constant trituration, a half-pint of 
distilled water; strain through Hnen or coarse, porous 
paper. This is the formula of the London Pharmacy, but 
the caution is given that agitation must be continued for 
two or three hours, or the water will not be fully saturated. 
Camphor-julep is efficacious in allaying itching and irrita- 
tion, and is slightly stimulant. 

AROMATIC LOTION. 

Spirits of rosemary 4 drachms 

Spirits of thyme 4 drachms 

Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic) 4 drachms 

Bicarbonate of sodium 2 drachms 

Oil of mace 2 drachms 

Oil of nutmeg 15 drops 



DR. WILSON'S TREATMENT OF ALOPECIA. 279 

Oil of cinnamon 15 drops 

Violet ammonia i ounce 

Eau de Cologne to make 10 ounces. 

Add the oils to the Cologne, dissolve the sodium in the 
spirits, mingle the two; agitate, then add the tincture and 
the ammonia. Not to be used if there is any inclination to 
eruptions. 

The following has proved extremely efficacious in many 
cases, used in conjunction with internal remedies, where 
loss of hair was plainly traceable to impaired physical con- 
dition: 

NUX VOMICA TONIC. 
Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic)... 2 drachms 

Tincture of capsicum i drachm 

Tincture of nux vomica 4 drachms 

Cocoa oil i^ ounces 

Eau de Cologne 5 ounces 

For very oily hair the next formula may be better suited. 
Both are to be applied as previously directed: 

CANTHARIDES TONIC, NO. 2. 

Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic) i ounce 

Spirits of rosemary i^/^ ounces 

Glycerine i^ ounces 

Aromatic vinegar i>4 ounces 

Rose-water 3 ounces 

Two lotions commended by the dermatologist Dr. Eras- 
mus Wilson for alopecia, the use of which once or twice 
weekly might ward ofif the trouble and stimulate constitu- 
tionally-weak hair, are these: 

WILSON'S STIMULATING LOTION, NO. i. 

Liquid ammonia i ounce 

Chloroform i ounce 

Oil of sweet almonds i ounce 

Spirits of rosemary 5 ounces 



28o THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

WILSON'S STIMULATING LOTION, NO. 2. 

Eau de Cologne 8 ounces 

Tincture of cantharides i ounce 

Oil of lavender ^ drachm 

Oil of rosemary ^ drachm 

Should the first prove too strong for some scalps, it may 
be diluted with equal parts of glycerine and eau de Cologne. 
Both are to be rubbed into the roots of the hair and fol- 
lowed with massage. Always it should be remembered 
that treatment to arrest loss of hair should begin as soon as 
any change in its condition is noticed. Normally, much less 
than fifty hairs should fall from an average head of hair 
daily; and weakness is indicated also by its becoming finer 
and losing its brightness and color; the scalp, too, loses 
its elasticity and hardens. 

I shall conclude this long list of remedies for falHng and 
thin hair with two so-called specifics; both endorsed as " a 
family receipt," and one pronounced " something of a 
family secret." In each case it is asserted that the ladies of 
the family have m.agnificent hair, which they attribute to 
the regular use of the highly-prized lotion: 

YELLOW DOCK-ROOT LOTION. 

Yellow dock-root i pound 

Water 5 pints 

Boil together till the water is reduced to a pint; strain 
and add: 

Pulverized borax i ounce 

Coarse salt ^ ounce 

Sweet oil 3 ounces 

New England rum i pint 

Add the juice of three large red onions, and perfume wdth 

Oil of lavender i ounce 

Ambergris 10 grains 



SOME OLD " FAMILY-RECEIPTS." 281 

The second " family receipt " is much simpler, but it is 
more than doubtful if it would avai*l to stimulate indolent or 
weak hair-follicles and papillse, or arrest falling hair. It 
is a pleasant lotion for naturally strong and healthy hair, 
promoting cleanliness and furnishing all the stimulant nec- 
essary to strong orga'ns. It is said that a whole family 
have used it for many years and have heavy, long hair, re- 
taining its color perfectly past middle age: 

Eau de Cologne 16 ounces 

Pure castor oil 2 ounces 

If the spirit be of proper strength it will dissolve the oil 
completely, and the lotion should be clear and perfectly 
cleanly. Only the best and purest Cologne will answer for 
this. If your chemist cannot guarantee it get the German 
make known as " No. 471 1." Much of that sold as ''Genuine 
Farina,-' and bottled to imitate the packages so familiar to 
all visitors to the Rhine city, is of no more value than so 
much water. The label " Johann Maria Farina's Original- 
recept vom Jahre 1826 " is worthless for the purpose, as it 
will not take up one grain of the castor oil. 

With regard to the color of hair there has been accumu- 
lated a mass of curious testimony which, while utterly dis- 
proving the old dictum, " once gray, always gray," brings 
to our notice other peculiarities of the hair-coloring cells 
which are yet not fully understood. Hair may change to 
almost any color ; flaxen locks have become chestnut, red, 
brown, or even black ; dark-brown hair has changed to red 
or light brown ; and black to flaxen. There are even cases 
in which white and brown segments alternate as in porcu- 
pine quills; and gray hair is often restored to its natural 
color. 

There is a well-authenticated case of a woman, only 
thirty-six years of age, who was very ill with mahgnant 
fever; on the sixth day of her illness her hair turned per- 
fectly white, but on the following day it began to turn dark 



262 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

again. In two weeks' time it was restored to its original 
color. Dr. Landois has made experiments going to show 
that a sudden development of gas may whiten the hair. Se- 
vere attacks of neuralgia will cause the sudden blanching 
of the hair immediately over the seat of the pain, but in 
many cases the normal color returns m a few days. A young 
woman after an attack of pneumonia lost quite half of her 
hair, and about the temples and on top of the head it was 
thickly strewn with gray; but on her restoration to health 
her hair regained its normal color, dark brown. 

Dr. Anistic is himself a victim to the blanching of the 
hair upon one side of his head, due to repeated attacks of 
migraine. The hair shows no tendency to fall, and in a few 
days after the illness is restored to its natural color. In his 
" Surgical Pathology," Dr. Paget records the case of a lady, 
subject to nervous headaches, who, following every attack, 
finds her hair, in spots, snow-white; in a few days the color 
returns. Of the blanching of hair from fright there are so 
many well-known instances that it is unnecessary to enu- 
merate any. It is, however, calculated to lower one's esti- 
mation of the value of a so-called expert's opinion on the 
whole subject of the treatment of the hair, when in the face 
of such testimony he professes disbelief, and there are some 
of these chronic doubters still abroad, who are posing as 
authority. 

Although Nature has shown us what she can do, her ways 
are so cunningly intricate that man has as yet very imper- 
fectly learned the art of imitating her; therefore, it is very 
much easier to prevent premature gray hair than to restore 
its color. It very frequently accompanies alopecia and re- 
sults from the same causes. Hygienic treatment stands 
first, of course, in all preventive measures, and many of the 
lotions and tonics already given for falling hair will be effi- 
cacious. As extreme exhaustion of the nervous system is 
indicated, internjal remedies must be taken to restore that ; 
and nux vomica and phosphorus, combined with iron or 








3 



MADONNA AND CHILD — BODENHAUSEN. 



UPON PREMATURE GRAY HAIR. 283 

arsenic, are indicated. One of the best preparations for ad- 
ministrating arsenic is the fohowing, but the caution is again 
insisted upon that a physician should be consuhed before 
taking any medicine. Arsenic is an edged tool, that if not 
indicated by condition may do great harm : 

'^. Fowler's solution of arsenic i drachm 

Muriate tincture of iron 2 drachms 

Muriate tincture of cinchona 2 ounces 

Compound tincture of cardamom i oz. 5 drachms 

Mix. Dose: a teaspoonful four times a day. 

Cod-liver oil is also indicated in many cases ; and there 
are compound phosphorus and quinine pills which are of 
value. 

If the hair be naturally dark an admirable lotion for it is 
red wine and sulphate of iron. Dissolve seven grammes of 
the sulphate in an ounce of distilled Water, then add it to a 
pint of California claret and steep it gently for ten minutes. 
Wet the hair with it very thoroughly, massage, and let it 
dry in. If used at night the pillow will need protection, as 
unless the hair be perfectly dry, the lotion will stain. 

Another most effective lotion which has restored color in 
some cases, entirely arrested falling hair, and stimulated the 
growth of the new, is made of green tea and new garden- 
sage prepared as follows : 

HERB-TEA LOTION. 

Green tea 2 ounces 

Garden sage (last crop, dried) 2 ounces 

Put in an iron pot which can be closely covered, and 
pour over the herbs three quarts of boiling water — prefer- 
ably soft ; let simmer till reduced one third ; then take ofif 
the fire and -leave in the pot for twenty-four hours ; strain 
and bottle. Wet the hair with the lotion very thoroughly 
every night, and massage the scalp for ten minutes both 



284 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

night and morning. This, too, has the inconvenience of 
staining the pillow if the hair is not dry before retiring ; but 
its virtues are so great that they overbalance this incon- 
venience. 

I have known a most obstinate case of alopecia — which, 
beginning in an acute form, following La Grippe, finally be- 
came chronic — to be cured by this tonic, when quarts of 
bay rum, quinine, and canthardies had been used without 
more than very temporary relief. 

Drs. Eble and Pfaf¥, German physicians, claim to have 
restored color to gray hair by giving sulphur and iron in- 
ternally and anointing the scalp with yolk of tgg. As the 
treatment follows the hint which analysis gives us of Na- 
ture's methods it should be effective, supplying as it does 
the two minerals upon which the color of the hair is sup- 
posed to depend. 

Women should be cautioned that any cause depressing 
and lowering the tone of the body, and more especially uter- 
ine troubles which affect so disastrously the whole nervous 
system, may induce atrophy of the hair-coloring structure; 
and they should remember that an ounce of prevention is 
worth a pound of cure. 

A French authority recommends very highly a decoction 
of walnut leaves for strengthening the capillary tissues. 
While used sometimes as a dye it is also believed to have 
real virtue in restoring the color. It is perfectly harmless, 
but necessarily, it stains badly. The juice of the bark or 
nut-shell is also used, and it is recommended to add to it 
alcohol in the proportion of one sixth, a few bruised cloves, 
and a little chloride of sodium (table salt). Let the whole 
digest for a week or longer, with occasional agitation, then 
decant, and, if necessary, filter. It must be kept in a cool 
place. The fingers should be smeared with vaseline before 
using it, to prevent the stain being fixed. A remedy which 
I find chronicled^ as " most useful to restore color," but re- 
garding which I cannot testify personally, is this : 



TO STRENGTHEN THE CAPILLARY TISSUES. 285 

OLLA PODRIDA POMATUM. 

Oil of walnuts 3 drachms 

Oil of chamomile 3 drachms 

Oil of eggs (expressed from hard-boiled yolks). 3 drachms 

Oil of mace (ethereal) i drachm 

Oil of cassia 3 drachms 

Oil of colocynth 3 drachms 

The following solution of iron may affect some hair very 
favorably : 

HAIR RESTORER. 

Citrate of iron 2 drachms 

Nux vomica 2 drachms 

Cocoa-nut oil i>^ ounces 

Bay rum. 2 ounces 

Should the normal amount of sulphur be absent from the 
hair, or the supply be deficient, it will be necessary to alter- 
nate the above with sulphuret of potassium, or hydro- 
sulphuret of ammonia, moistening the scalp and hair with 
it about twice a week. Other agents which will gradually 
darken the hair are tannic or gallic acid mixed with oil, 
glycerine, or lard, in the proportion of one drachm of either 
acid to an ounce of glycerine or oil. Apply as you would 
any unguent. 

An English hair-darkening lotion is the following: 

Rust of iron i drachm 

Old ale I pint 

Oil of rosemary 12 drops 

Cork loosely; agitate daily for twelve days; then, after 
repose, decant the clear portion. The efifect is similar to 
the wine and iron tonic already given. None of the fore- 
going can be considered dyes. They are harmless expe- 
dients working in the line of Nature. 

To darken patches of gray hair the following, which is 
more of a dye, can be used: 



286 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Pyrogallic acid % ounce 

Distilled water (hot) i>4 ounces 

Dissolve, and when cool add 

Rectified spirits Yz ounce 

Dilute the mixture when using with twice its quantity of 
soft water, and add a little rectified spirits; apply with a 
soft brush. It stains, of course, and the efrect is gained by 
repeated applications. The French employ gallic acid a 
great deal in hair dyes. This substance is extracted from 
Aleppo or Chinese nut-gaUs, and must be used with ex- 
treme caution because of its poisonous nature. 

The following lotion is commended very highly for pre- 
mature grayness accompanying acute alopecia; faithfully 
used it will greatly aid in the restoration of health and 
strength to the scalp and hair-follicles and papillae, and un- 
less positive atrophy of the pigment-forming cells in the 
papillae has set in, will restore the color: 

NATURE'S RESTORATIVE. 

Sulphate of iron i drachm 

Sulphume ^/^ drachm 

Tincture of jaborandi i ounce 

Extract of rosemary 4 drachms 

Extract of thyme 4 drachms 

Rectified spirits i ounce 

Glycerine i ounce 

Elder-flower water >^ pint 

Add the iron to the spirits, the glycerine to the extracts 
and tincture, the sulphume to the perfumed water; agitate 
till well mingled and incorporated; then add the first mix- 
ture to the second, and lastly unite with "them the third. 
Apply to scalp and hair, as previously directed for lotions, 
nightly, following with massage. If decided improvement 
is seen in one month, use every other night for another 
month; then at longer intervals. Should it prove too 
stimulating dilute with rose-water (or distilled) and glyce- 
rine. 



SOME SPECIFICS TO PROMOTE HAIR-GROWTH. 287 

A simpler lotion, which it is affirmed will certainly restore 
the color to dark hair, when it is lost through sickness or 
mental exhaustion, is this: 

Tincture of acetate of iron i ounce 

Water i pint 

Glycerine >4 ounce 

Sulphuret of potassium 5 grains 

Mix well, and leave the bottle uncorked to let the disa- 
greeable odor from the potassium pass off. Afterwards per- 
fume with a few drops each of oil of lavender and oil of 
cloves. Rub a little of this daily into the scalp. 

I will add here the formula for a well-known unguent 
which has earned a reputation as efficacious in the cure of 
dandruff and also fahing hair and baldness: 

DUPUYTREN'S POMADE. 

Prepared beef-marrow 12 ounces 

Baunie nerval ' 4 ounces 

Balsam of Peru 3 ounces 

Oil of almonds 3 ounces 

Tincture of cantharides (alcoholic) 36 grains 

Rectified spirits 2 drachms 

Melt the marrow by gentle heat; then add the baume, 
balsam, and oil, stirring till thoroughly incorporated; put 
the tincture into the spirits, and add to the mixture, beat- 
ing till it concretes. This is the original formula for this 
celebrated pomade. The Baume Nerval is a noted oint- 
ment [of stimulating, tonic properties] in French phar- 
macy and is compounded as follows: 

BAUME NERVAL. 

Expressed oil of mace 4 ounces 

Purified ox-marrow 4 ounces 

Oil of rosemary 2 drachms 

Oil of cloves I drachm 

Camphor I drachm 

Balsam of tolu 2 drachms 

Rectified spirits 4 drachms 



288 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Melt the oil and marrow together as in making cold- 
cream; dissolve the camphor and balsam in the spirits; stir 
in the aromatic oils, and add the alcoholic extract last of 
all. Some formulas for the pomade omit this baume and add 
instead ten to fifteen drops of the oils of mace, cloves, and 
cinnamon. Apply the pomade to the scalp once daily, for 
a week at a time; then interrupt for a week and resume, till 
a cure is effected. Massage twice daily all the time. A lo- 
tion could be used with good effect during the alternate 
weeks, as the herb or rosemary tea. 

If none of the foregoing remedies prove effectual in re- 
storing the color of the hair it is much the wisest plan to let 
Nature have her way; for though we can ably assist her, 
often with the happiest results, when we work at cross-pur- ~ 
poses to thwart her it generally results in our being 
worsted. Only in those very rare cases where from shock 
of accident or severe illness in extreme youth the hair 
blanches to the snowy whiteness of the sexagenarian does 
it ever seem advisable to resort to dyes, pure and simple, to 
correct what, because of its unusualness, we call Nature's 
mistake. 

Almost none of the dyes in common use are harmless. 
Most of the magic mixtures so extensively advertised and 
so highly extolled are compounded of deadly and most in- 
sidious poisons, that oftener than not ruin the hair, and in- 
flict irreparable injury to the whole system. The secrets 
of these I shall disclose; giving also formulae for the least 
harmful dyes which are unfortunately much less used; and 
urging that if something of the sort must be resorted to, it 
will be chosen from the latter. 

Before giving the nwdtis operandi for bleaching and dye- 
ing the hair, I must enter an emphatic protest against the 
general practice. For ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, 
I say don't! Gray hair is usually vastly becoming to youth- 
ful faces and imparts a certain air of distinction; as women 
often discover when they powder their hair for some cos- 



THE BEAUTY OF NATURAL GRAY HAIR. 289 

tume party. As for the gray hair of age, this is Nature's 
method of refining and softening the face, and she so har- 
monizes her work that the aged face looks younger when 
framed in iron-gray or white hair than when the hair 
retains its color, especially if it be very dark; while all at- 
tempts to darken it artificially are, with rare exceptions, 
ghastly in their results. Iron-gray and silver hair have a 
beauty all their own, which itself is a recompense for the 
change, and which no dyed hair can by any possibility ap- 
proach. 

From the Orient comes the baleful custom of dyeing and 
bleaching the hair simply to change its color as you would 
that of your gown. In the harems of Persia and Turkey, 
where the women have few interests to occupy their minds, 
it is a chief amusement to dye the hair; and when the blonde 
colors hers black the brunette bleaches hers to a reddish 
gold. They even dye the hair of infants two or three years 
old. But why the emancipated women of the Western na- 
tions should ever have given even a transient vogue to the 
custom, it is impossible for either common sense or artistic 
taste to discover. 

The craze has already wrought its ultimate extinction, 
for it has ruined many beautiful heads of hair. To many a 
girl, Ovid's rebuke to the Roman woman so long ago 
would apply: " Your own hand has been the cause of the 
loss you now mourn, for you poured the poison upon your 
own head." 

In most of the proprietary hair-dyes the principal chemi- 
cals employed, nitrate of silver and lead, possess great dis- 
advantages; the first staining the skin badly, and injuring 
the texture of the hair, and the latter being an active poison, 
liable to cause painful colic, and even contraction of the 
limbs. 

This is one of the standard preparations : 

M. PIESSE'S HAIR DYE. 

Nitrate of silver 28 grammes 

Rose-water 225 grammes 



290 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL 

Dissolve : when diluted with an equal part of distilled 
water, it dyes deep brown or chestnut; with twice its 
bulk, light brown; and undiluted, complete black, though 
the shade of hair modfiies the effect somewhat. When 
using this the adjacent skin should be washed with a 
solution of chloride of sodium to prevent discoloration. 
The hair must be cleansed entirely from oil by an alka- 
line shampoo; if allowed to dry first it will take the color 
better. After moistening with the solution, expose the 
hair to light. Sunlight will set the color in a few min- 
utes; but in diffused daylight it may take several hours; 
therefore, if time is of importance a " mordant " must be 
apphed, and commonly an application of this second solu- 
tion follows the nitre : ^ 

Sulphuret of potassium i3<^ drachms 

Distilled water 2 ounces 

This " sets " the color immediately. It will aid somewhat 
to prevent staining the skin if the " mordant '' be applied 
first; following it in a few minutes with the dye, but the 
color thus produced is not so permanent. The dye is best 
applied with a brush ; and it is hardly necessary to add that 
it is a difficult task for a woman to do it for herself. To 
avoid staining the hands, gloves should be worn ; the solu- 
tion of potassium will remove the stain if applied imme- 
diately. As the dye is extremely caustic, rendering the hair 
dull and brittle, it is necessary to anoint the scalp and hair 
once or twice a week with some unguent. 

A much more harmless dye and easier to apply, which 
gives a bright red or reddish-yellow hue to the hair, accord- 
ing to the strength of the preparMion, is a solution of pure 
rouge, or a strong infusion of saffron, in a weak solution 
of crystallized carbonate of soda ; to be followed, when dry, 
by a '' mordant " of lemon-juice or vinegar diluted with an 
equal part of water. Always before using any preparation 
to change the color of the hair it must be freed from all oil 



UPON THE DYEING OF HAIR, 29I 

by a thorough shampoo, and would better be dried also. 
Hyposulphite of soda will color the hair black provided 
it contains sufficient sulphur to combine with it, and it has 
the advantage of not staining. 

BROWN HAIR DYE. 

Pyrogallic acid i drachm 

Eau de Cologne 2 drachms 

Rose-water 5 ounces 

This is similar to a lotion already given " to darken 
patches of gray hair," and the directions therewith should 
be observed. 

Note specially that the shades obtained by preparations 
of iron and bismuth range from dark brown to black ; those 
by nitrate of silver, from a rich chestnut to deep brown and 
black; from pyrogaUic acid and walnut-juice, various shades 
of brown, the first warmer in tone; and from lead, varying 
shades from reddish-brown and auburn to black. The lead 
shades when the dye is badly compounded or unskillfully 
applied are extremely ugly. 

More as a warning than for information, I will mention 
that the daily use of oil or pomatum with which a few grains 
of carbonate of lead, lead-plaster, or trisnitrate of bismuth, 
have been blended by heat and careful trituration, will 
gradually darken the hair. Its long-continued use, how- 
ever, is perilous, being liable to cause atrophy of the scalp 
and consequent baldness; and sometimes even local pa- 
ralysis. 

The lead dyes composed of litharge and lime are also 
extremely injurious, besides being inconvenient. They are 
sold in the form of a white powder to be made into a paste, 
when used, with warm water (for black) or milk (brown) ; 
and to be applied with a brush or rubbed in with the fingers. 
The operation is extremely tedious, and in some of the much 
vaunted compounds — as '' Dr. Hanmann's " — the propor- 
tion of quicklime is so large that it often damages the roots 



292 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of the hair, and even acts as a depilatory- ; for which purpose 
it might much better be reserved. 

In the Orient the black sulphurets of lead and antimony, 
and the oxide of iron are occasionally used for coloring the 
hair the glossy, midnight black there so highly esteemed; 
but the favorite medium, and much the best one, is the 
famous henna, a preparation of the Lawsonia inermis. Some- 
times it is combined with powdered gall-nuts, mixed in a 
paste, and followed by another paste made of iron pyrites 
which the Armenians obtain in their mountains, and which 
from being a favorite stain for the eyelashes has received 
the name rastikopctra. 

The popular method in Persia is to apply a paste of the 
henna powder all over the hair from the tips to the roots. 
It is left on for a half-hour or longer — according to the 
natural color of hair — and then washed off, when the hair 
will be found to be dark red ; following this a paste of in- 
digo is applied which is left on from an hour and a half to 
three hours. After the indigo paste is washed oft, the hair 
is well oiled: and the jetty blackness resulting from the op- 
eration is unequalled, while the process is probably the least 
dangerous of all hair dyes. The henna paste is made by 
reducing the dried leaves to a coarse powder and mixing 
with hot water ; and when it alone is used on white hair it 
turns it to a fine golden red. 

Another method is to mix one part of henna into a paste 
\yitla^tliree^^-partS::of indigo and apply. The longer it remains 
the darker the color : it is said to produce a clear brown in 
one hour. AMiere the skin has been colored by the opera- 
tion it can be washed clean with soap and water, without 
affecting the color of the hair, which is retained for a long 
time. 

The coveted Titian red, much affected by Oriental 
women, is produced by them in the follow^ing way, proba- 
bly the least injurious method of obtaining it: 



THE COVETED TITIAN LOCKS. 293 

ORIENTAL HENNA PASTE. 

Powdered henna ^ pound 

Acetic acid 4 drachms 

White honey 4 drachms 

Powdered rhubarb 4 drachms 

Hot water, sufficient to form a paste. It is applied as 
directed for the foregoing, and the long ends of hair are 
fastened in strands upon the head after it has been thor- 
oughly covered v^^tih the paste, the remainder of v^hich is 
plastered over all and left for two hours to dry. It is then 
washed off in several waters softened with ammonia or soda. 
When the hair is dried in the sun — and the women sit 
on the house-tops for that purpose — it becomes a mass of 
ruddy gold. Gloves should be used upon the hands or else 
they should be smeared with vaseHne during this operation. 

A harmless vegetable dye which by repeated applications 
will turn the hair quite black is this : - 

Mullein flowers ^ ounce 

Genista Yi ounce 

Steep in water till the liquor is black; apply with a brush. 

Another humble agent which every household can afiford, 
and which produces varying shades of brown according to 
the number of applications, is made of potato parings, cov- 
ered with cold water and boiled in an iron pot till soft. 
Strain the water, and when cool apply with a comb or 
brush, wetting the hair thoroughly. It must be used care- 
fully, for, like all these coloring substances, it stains the 
skin; and if the parting is discolored it should be cleansed 
before it dries in. If the hair be dried in the sun it will take 
a deeper color. 

The texture and vitality of the hair are even more se- 
riously affected by the bleaching than by any of the coloring 
agents; and that most commonly used, peroxide of hydro- 
gen, or oxygenated water, will, if its use be persisted in, 



294 "^^^ WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Utterly destroy the hair, as many a vain and thoughtless 
woman can attest. It induces an actual decay of the hair 
structure, rendering it brittle, and shrivelling it up. The 
legitimate and only reasonably safe use of this fluid is lim- 
ited to an occasional application simply for the purpose of 
brightening certain-hued hair. Its success even in bleach- 
ing depends on the natural color of the hair, and it makes 
some locks very pallid and dead looking. Dark brown, 
coarse hair is best affected by its occasional use. But al- 
ways it should be remembered when applying it that it is 
the hair, not the scalp, which should be exposed to its ac- 
tion. If persistent efforts are made to bleach the hair close 
to the scalp, it will inevitably destroy the follicles. Ahvays 
the hair is darker at the roots, and natural hair is not uni- 
form in shade; its changing hues in varying lights and 
shadows is one of the charms I have noted before. 

The peroxide decomposes rapidly when exposed to the 
light or in contact with a metallic oxide; therefore, it should 
be kept in black glass, and in a dark closet. The bleaching 
is best done in the morning, and, like the dyeing, is aided 
by sunlight; and the foolish woman w-ho persists in thus 
jeopardizing one of her most precious natural advantages, 
is reminded that the eitect will be extremely inartistic, if not 
grotesque, unless she matches her eyebrow^s w-ith her hair. 

A solution of bichloride of tin, followed by a '' mordant " 
of hydrosulphuret of ammonia, gives a rich golden-yellow 
tint to very light hair, and a bronze hue to darker hair; and 
one of acetate of lead, followed by a " mordant " of yellow 
chromate of potash, produces a similar hue, which can, be 
deepened in tone by the addition of a few drops of solution 
of diacetate of lead. The constant washing with strong 
alkalies, potash, soda, borax, and ammonia will bleach the 
hair in time, but inevitably injures the texture and life of 
the hair. 

Superfluous hair, that growing in places where we would 
not have it, is frequently the source of extreme annoyance 



THE REMOVAL OF SUPERFLUOUS HAIR. 295 

and even mortification. The only effectual remedies for 
this trouble are such as will destroy the hair-papillge, and 
as yet, minor surgery alone has accomplished this. Elec- 
trolysis is the best known of these operations, and it has 
been so perfected that as now performed it is absolutely 
painless and leaves not the slightest trace of the operation, 
restoring the skin to its normal smoothness. 

Piffard's treatment is to partially pull the hair and then 
insert a surgeon's needle, thrusting it to the base of the 
follicle and puncturing the papilla, which by a twirl or two 
it breaks down. If the needle be dipped in a solution of 
equal parts of carbolic-acid and olive-oil it will be an ad- 
vantage. A similar method is to pull the hair taut — by 
which means the direction of its root will be more clearly 
seen — and push down to its root a fine cambric needle, pre- 
viously dipped in a solution of nitrate of silver. The nitrate 
cauterizes and destroys the papilla, and of course the hair 
drops out. 

The reason for the failure of so large a percentage of 
these puncturing operations, is that the oblique direction of 
the follicle makes it difficult to ascertain the exact location 
of the papilla. 

The Turkish depilatory, rusma, should never be resorted 
to, as its principal agent is orpiment, the yellow sulphuret 
of arsenic, which is a deadly poison. One of the safest de- 
pilatories, called " the best " by some authorities, is the fol- 
lowing : 

DEPILATORY LIQUID. 

Sulphuret of barium 3 ounces 

Water 12 ounces 

Mix into a paste by wetting corn-starch with the solution 
and apply to the offending hairs. When dry the hairs will 
come away with it. If the skin is irritated soothe with zinc 
ointment (for formula, see Index). 

A German formula is a paste composed of sulphuretted 



296 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

hydrogen and calcium hydrate which forms a grayish-green 
mass of offensive odor, only partially concealed by the ad- 
dition of orris-root, oil of lemon, or tonca-bean. The paste 
must be kept in a tightly corked bottle or jar; spread thinly 
over the parts to be treated with a bone or ivory knife (a 
small paper-cutter is convenient); according to irritability 
of the skin let it remain from 5-10 minutes, then scrape off 
with the knife; cleanse with lukewarm water, and sooth 
the irritated skin with talcum-powder, or, if necessary, zinc 
ointment. 

Still another, said to be " very effective and as safe as 
any," is this, but it is necessary to add the caution that the 
sulphide is a powerful caustic and must be used with ex- 
treme care: 

Calcium sulphide (recent) i ounce 

Quicklime i ounce 

Powdered starch i ounce 

Reduce separately to a fine powder, mix, and keep in a 
closely stoppered bottle; make a paste with soft water and 
apply as above directed. 

CAZENAVE'S POMMADE EPILATOIRE. 

Quicklime i drachm 

Carbonate of soda 2 drachms 

Lard i ounce 

Rub together to form an ointment; spread upon afifected 
parts, and, according to irritation, leave 5-10 minutes. 

A cleansing and pleasant powder which imparts to the 
hair a faint and agreeable odor is this: 

IRIS HAIR POWDER. 

Orris-root (powdered) 5^ pound 

Bergamot rind 2^ drachms 

Cassie flowers 2^ drachms 

Cloves (coarsely ground) Yz drachm 



THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE HAIR. 297 

Mix, and pass through a sieve. Powder the hair with it 
at night; massage — alzvays massage, that being the first 
and last thing to enforce in hygienic treatment of the hair 
and scalp — and after the morning massage shake the hair 
lightly and brush the powder out. 

Another: 

Corn-starch i pound 

Orris-root i ounce 

Oil of rhodium , 10 drops 

Mix and strain as above directed, and use in the same 
way. This is an agreeable powder for whitening the hair 
when that is desired. 

Diamond dust for the hair is made from white smalt, 
well washed, and rubbed into a coarse powder in an iron 
mortar. It is the substance resulting from fusing glass with 
the protoxide of cobalt. 

With regard to the arrangement of the hair it is, of 
course, impossible to make further suggestion than to ad- 
vocate the cardinal principle of correct taste and aesthetic 
feeling, that every woman should endeavor to suit the style 
of her hair-dressing to her face. In nothing is individuality 
more effective, and, alas! in nothing is the too common 
habit of adopting the latest craze or folly more disastrous. 

Very fortunately the vogue of false hair has passed, and 
we had hoped that heating, microbe-breeding cushions had 
been relegated to the land of " have beens " also; but, un- 
fortunately, the Pompadour style has brought them back, 
and, already, we are hearing of the hair which is growing 
thin in consequence of their use. 

Fashion should have little or no influence in deciding 
upon the manner in which a woman dresses her hair, for 
she does not change the contour of her head and face with 
the shape of her hats. The " touselly " disordered locks 
which for a year or two past have fallen half-over the face 
and turned the head into a huge mop, have not presented 



298 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

one redeeming point of grace, beauty, or becomingness to 
excuse them; and are such a positive offence to the eye as 
well as good sense that doubts as to the presence of any or- 
gans of thought under such craniums are forced upon us. 

Neatness and evidence of care are the first and, perhaps, 
the only rules one can formulate; but brown and light hair 
are set off to greatest advantage when waved, fluffed, and 
curled; while heavy, dark hair should be treated with more 
dignity and displayed in glossy bands, coils, and braids, set- 
ting off the contour of the head, and so disposed as to con- 
ceal instead of exaggerate any irregularities. Moreover, all 
hair should so frame the face as to conceal defects and set off 
its greatest attractions; and the contour should be critically 
examined from every point of view, the back and sides be- 
ing very important. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE FASCINATION OF A BEAUTIFUL HAND. 

" 'Tis God gives skill, 
But not without men's hands." 

" For through the South, the custom still commands 
The gentleman to kiss the lady's hand." 

In her hand every woman, even the plainest featured one, 
possesses a power that when developed and trained wields 
a most subtle fascination. Yet many -a woman who gives 
much time and study to the art of pleasing, and bemoans 
natural shortcomings or physical defects which thwart her 
commendable ambition, is entirely unconscious of this en- 
dowment. 

The human hand is such a wonderful thing that it alone 
should convince the atheist that only a divine power could 
have created it. The hand is to our thoughts what our faces 
are to our emotions, giving expression and accent to them; 
and by gesture we often convey more meaning than by our 
words. The soul often speaks through the hand, when the 
halting tongue hesitates and leaves the word unuttered. By 
a thousand different positions, by countless attitudes of the 
fingers, the hand translates a great part of our thoughts and 
our feelings. It gives character to our speech, punctuating 
phrases and accenting our words, — in fact, it makes speech 
visible, and, in a congenial atmosphere, gives glimpses of 
the soul. 

Formerly, the claim could hardly be denied that the 

299 



300 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

vivacious Continental peoples were much more animated 
in speech and gesture than the Anglo-Saxons; but this 
claim can no longer pass without challenge. It would be 
hard to find any women on the face of the globe, now, who 
use their hands more eloquently and cleverly '' to point a 
moral, or adorn a tale," than do some of America's fair 
daughters. 

You have but to watch a group of pretty women in the 
drawing-room engaged in merry chatter to prove this asser- 
tion. See with what cunning emphasis the delicate white 
hands point the phrases, lending to tritest words a deeper 
meaning, and charming you into a keener appreciation of 
every bright thought. The spectacle is fascinating to a 
degree; and, as you watch the lively motions, every slender 
finger seems to become a sentient being endowed with in- 
dividuality. 

Lavater says: " The hand, whether in motion or repose, 
has an expression of its own that is not to be mistaken. 
When in perfect rest it shows what are our traits of char- 
acter, its flexions betray what are our actions and our pas- 
sions." In all ages homage has been paid to the hand. 
Italy's great poet Petrarch confessed that Laura's *' beau- 
tiful hand made captive his heart"; and both science and 
superstition have given vast importance to what Aristotle 
recognized as '' the member of members." 

Every movement of the hand is an index of the disposi- 
tion and the ruling thoughts of its possessor; " even in re- 
pose the hand's flexions bespeak distinct and intense con- 
ditions of mind. A hand, however awkward in shape, may 
acquire absolute beauty of motion by following the dicta- 
tions of a brain, delicate in conception, and denying nobly 
the grosser instincts." 

Although the thoroughbred hand, proclaiming the dis- 
tinction of refined birth and breeding, like the marked char- 
acter inherent in the hand betraying our tastes and incHna- 
tions, is structural and born with us; the ability to use the 



A TRINITY OF POWER IN THE HAND. 301 

hand effectively and to make of it a thing of wondrous fas- 
cination and charm is purely a matter of training and culti- 
vation, within the reach of every woman of ordinary 
intelligence and perseverance. It is possible to acquire 
such skill and perfection in the use of the hands — a skill 
which makes repose, when every tense muscle is relaxed, 
as eloquent as gesture — that you need fear no criticism; no 
one will know whether the form of your hand is beautiful 
or ugly. 

The beauty of the hand is threefold, a trinity of power, 
being ethical, physical, and mental. The thumb is the ther- 
mometer of the will-power; the palm, of the vitality; and 
the fingers, of the mental and psychical force. There are 
more nerves between the brain and the hand than in any 
other portion of the system; and some scientists go so far 
as to declare that thought is impossible without the hands 
feeling its influence. 

Whatever may be the differences of opinion in respect to 
the claims of its advocates that Palmistry is entitled to rec- 
ognition as a science, and that the future may be forecast 
from the lines in the palm, most people who have given the 
subject sufficient attention to enable them to form an intelli- 
gent opinion will agree that certain peculiarities of the hand, 
in form, development, and markings, do indicate, more or 
less accurately, certain traits of character. That these fun- 
damental principles on which the palmists base their claims 
are not recognized always as valid, is doubtless due to the 
fact that the very term itself suggests to many minds only 
the wiles of the gypsy and the charlatan; but no less an 
authority than Job has declared that '' God has placed signs 
in the hands of all men, that every man may know his 
work." This natural prejudice, however, should not pre- 
vent the recognition of whatever good there may be in the 
system; and for this reason, as well as on account of the 
widespread and growing interest in the subject, a brief 
statement of the main principles on which the cult of 



302 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

palmistry, or cheirosophy,is based, seems appropriate. Such 
statement need not be understool, however, as an endorse- 
ment by the writer of everything contained in it. The 
origin of palmistry antedates the earliest human records, 
and in the remotest period of Aryan civilization it had even 
acquired a literature of its own, fragments of which are still 
extant. It was known to the Hindus before Greece or 
Israel began to write their history by a record of days. The 
Joshi caste of India has practiced and followed the art from 
time immemorial to the present day. 

In one of the old cave temples which belong to the ruins 
of ancient Hindustan, Cheiro was permitted to examine and 
study a most curious book upon palmistry, of enormous 
size, the leaves of which were made of human skin, pieced 
together in an extremely ingenious manner. It contained 
a great many illustrations, very well drawn, with records 
of how, when, and where particular marks and lines had 
been verified and proved correct. The pages were glazed 
with a compound, supposed to be made of herbs, which had 
rendered them absolutely invulnerable to the ravages of 
Time. The writing was done with a singularly brilliant red 
fluid, which also bade defiance to age. The book dated evi- 
dently from three periods, representing changes and growth 
in the language, even the learned Brahmans being unable 
to decipher the earliest portions, and its antiquity is beyond 
question. 

Palmistry flourished among the Greeks and was held in 
honor by the greatest of her philosophers. Anaxagoras 
taught and practiced it four centuries before Christ; and 
Hispanus discovered, on an altar dedicated to Hermes, a 
book on cheiromancy written in gold letters, which he sent 
as a present to Alexander the Great, as '' a study worthy 
the attention of an elevated and inquiring mind." 

Cheiromancy — from the Greek chcir, the hand — is the art 
of reading the lines and markings of the palm; while 
cheirognomy has to do with the form of the different mem- 



TYPES OF HANDS. 303 

bers of the hand, studying their relation to disposition and 
character; and the pahnist should be thoroughly versed in 
both branches, for only a very superficial knowledge can 
be gained by studying them separately. 

The palmist D'Arpentigny defines seven types or classes 
of hands: ''The elementary or large-palmed hands [being 
the lowest type] ; the necessary [active] or spatulate hand; 
the artistic or conical hand; the useful or square hand; the 
philosophic or knotted hand; the psychic or pointed hand; 
and the mixed hand; each one having a natural corre- 
spondence to temperament." The important point in the 
elementary hand is the proportionate length of palm and 
fingers; the longer the fingers the better the hand; the 
larger the palm the more the animal nature rules. This 
hand has few lines, and belongs to the most undisciplined 
and the lowest civilization. 

The spatulate is the energetic, enterprising hand, and 
belongs to discoverers, inventors, and all those restless peo- 
ple whose love of action drives them into new ways and 
new paths; the palm is broader at the base and the fingers 
at the tips. Cheiro says: " It is from this hand that we 
get not only our great discoverers and engineers, but also 
the whole army of men and women we are pleased to call 
cranks, simply because they will not follow the rut made by 
the centuries of sheep that have gone before them. Such 
men and women with the spatulate hands are the advance 
agents of thought. They are, it is true, before their time; 
they are often wrong in the way they set about their work; 
but they are, as a rule, the heralds of some new thought or 
life that will, years later, give life to their fellow-meji." 

The artistic is one of the most attractive hands, graceful 
in shape, delicate in contour, the palm being slightly taper- 
ing, and the fingers broad at the base with tapering nail- 
phalanges. People with conic hands are impressionable, 
impetuous, generous, and emotional. The type is inter- 
esting, and according to its modifications is a harbinger of 



304 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

success, or that measure of it which stops just short of 
achievement for want of perseverance. 

The square hand is square in all its contours; square at 
the wrist, at the base of the fingers, and even the finger-tips 
are square. This type indicates an orderly nature, but apt 
to be hide-bound in reverence for traditional opinion. Peo- 
ple with this type of hand are practical, and material things 
are to them the only realities. Perseverance and tenacity 
do for them what enthusiasm does for others, and they 
win by sheer force of determination and steady appUcation. 
Life is hard, much of a treadmill, to them, and they miss 
the joy of occasional glimpses through rose-colored specta- 
cles. There are, however, many modifications, or it would 
be better to say developments, of the square hand which 
place it among the highest types; as when the square palm 
is united with knotty, spatulate, or conic fingers. From 
these we draw our architects, engineers, and practical in- 
ventors; and the most successful artists in every field of 
endeavor, their enthusiasm and imagination having the nec- 
essary balance of common sense and perseverance to carry 
them to their goal. 

The philosophic hand, whose name explains its charac- 
ter, is generally long and rather angular; its bony fingers 
are tipped with long nails, and the knuckles are knotted 
with thought. It is an ambitious hand, seeking power 
through knowledge, and studying mankind and all the 
mysteries of life. ''Theirs is the cloudland of thought, 
where the dreaded grub-worm of materialism dare not fol- 
low." In contact with their fellows, they are silent and 
secretive, and they have no love for the hurly-burly crowd. 
The Brahmans, Yogis, and other mystics of India possess 
such hands, which abound among Oriental people; but 
interesting Occidental examples of men possessing these 
hands are Tennyson, Cardinal Planning, and Cardinal New- 
man. 

The psychic hand has the most beautiful contour of all 



THE PHILOSOPHIC AND PSYCHIC HANDS. 305 

types, but is not to be coveted, as it indicates a nature in 
no way armed for the battle of life. It is long, narrow, and 
delicate to fragility, and the tapering fingers are tipped 
with almond-shaped nails. With a love for the beautiful 
and especial sensitiveness to color, this character possesses 
neither logic nor the sense of order, and is swayed like a 
reed by the opinions of others. Such people are devotional, 
being affected by form, and questioning not for reasons; 
thus their religion will be decided by environment. Though 
their intuitive faculties are highly developed, they are 
credulous and easily imposed upon. Cheiro considers this 
a most unfortunate hand, and gives special emphasis to the 
opinion that the lives of children possessing such hands are 
ruined " by the ignorance and stupidity of the parents " 
who try to fit a round knot into a square hole; and he con- 
cludes with this grave warning: " There is no question but 
that the asylums of the world are largely filled by the utter 
inability of parents for such a position of responsibility; 
and the sooner this fact is recognized, the better.'' 

The mixed hand is so called because it cannot be classi- 
fied under any of the other types, but is a mingling of 
their characteristics; the five fingers, even, may be of as 
many different types. It is the hand of ideas, of versatility, 
and too often, unfortunately, of erratic purpose. But it has 
to be studied in its entirety in order to describe its charac- 
ter and predisposition. It may be said that, as a rule, the 
mixed hand gives variety to character, but the pure type 
confers greater strength in a given direction. 

Fingers that are flexible and supple, falling always wide 
apart, indicate quickness of impressions, and adaptability 
to circumstances. When they are held close together and 
the thumb is set high on the hand, absence of generosity 
and consideration for others is signified. The set of the 
thumb away from the hand, peculiar to Northern races, 
gives freedom of will and independence, through its separa- 
tion from the other mounts; and if it turns slightly back 



3o6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

in either the first or second phalanx, it indicates generosity. 
Excess of this marks extravagance, but may be controlled 
by a good head-line. As will be seen by consulting the 
chart of the hand, the thumb gives two of the most impor- 
tant indications in reading character, for in it lie the marks 
of the wUl and the intellect. According as the first, or nail, 
phalanx and the second are well developed is the character 
a strong one, for reason without force of will is always 
irresolute and fails in most undertakings; while a strong 
YiiH lacking the control of reason leads to much tribulation 
and sorrow. A large, well-developed thimib thus indicates 
a prompt, decisive mind, ready to take the initiative., and 
conquer obstacles by s'leer force of determination. I: is 
not easily led into temptation, and gives power of resist- 
ance and good judgment. 

Excess of development is, however, as unfortimate as 
want of it: and too large a thumb indicates obstinacy, and 
usually marks the overbearing, stem nature. The small 
thtunb yields to sentiment, loves the beautiful ancf* poetic, 
and is easily swayed. The thumb was sacred to \'enus, 
according to the Chaldean sages: therefore, the root of the 
thumb is called the iNIount of A'enus. Well-developed it 
indicates grace, love of beautiful forms, and an apprecia- 
tion of all that gives pleasure to the senses, together with a 
desire to please, to be loved, and benevolence, charity, and 
tenderness. If this mount be depressed, thin, and insig- 
nificant, the absence of these quaHties is indicated: while 
its excess is a ntark of their exaggeration into grave faults, 
which, unrestrained b}- good head-lines and reason pha- 
langes, leads to sensualit}-, coquetry-, vanity, and idleness. 

" The thumb is the king of the hand, uniting the will, 
logic, love, and source of love. ... It stands like a lieu- 
tenant between the will and the fingers, to forward the mes- 
sage and g^ide the corresponding action." 

In ancient lore, the planets were believed to control 
special fingers which were named after them, and the slight 



THE ART OF PALMISTRY. 307 

protuberance at the base was correspondingly named. 
Thus, the first finger represents Jupiter, and the mount at 
its base is the Mount of Jupiter (See chart). When these 
mounts are well-placed, and clearly but not exaggeratedly 
defined, the best qualities of the planet are indicated. If 
not prominent their absence is betrayed; and if the mount 
is replaced by a hollow the opposite faults are indicated. 
If misplaced, inclining to a sister mount, it shares in the 
qualities or defects of the latter, being influenced by it. And 
so, too, if the tip of a finger bends towards its neighbor it 
is swayed by it. 

A well-placed Mount of Jupiter endows the subject with 
religious instincts, ambition, proper pride, honors, gayety, 
success in life, happy marriage, and a cheerful, rather im- 
petuous temperament. In excess, superstition takes the 
place of religion; the pride is excessive, love of power for 
itself; and vanity and love of display -hold sway. Its ab- 
sence causes indolence, irreligion, egotism, and want of 
dignity. 

The influence of Saturn, the planet of fatality, if favorable, 
gives prudence, wisdom, patience, and success; and a well- 
developed, well-placed Mount of Saturn, indicating the 
possession of these qualities, is a most desirable feature to 
find in. the hand. When in excess, this influence causes 
sadness, taciturnity, asceticism, and dread of the after-life. 
Its absence marks an utterly insignificant life. Thus, 
Saturn is believed to give extreme misfortune, or extreme 
good fortune, according to the development of the mount 
and the signs and lines seen upon it, together with the 
Saturnian, or Fate, Line. 

The ring-finger is sacred to Apollo, or the Sun, and the 
development of its mount, well-placed, indicates a taste for 
the arts and love of literature; which, according to tem- 
perament, will give an aptitude in some one or more; and, 
according to the lines of influence, success in them. In 
excess, love of show, extravagance, frivolity, and vain- 




"O'ggT)?^ ^ 




WHAT THE ** MOUNTS " INDICATE. 309 

gloriousness are indicated, and a disposition to accomplish 
ambitious ends at any cost. The absence of the mount im- 
pHes a purely material existence, — " A life without color, a 
day without sunlight ! " 

Though we are wont to speak of the fourth as the 
" little " finger, it is under the important influence of 
Mercury, and its good development is most significant; in- 
dicating, as it does, intelligence, energy, love of activity, 
success in science and in occult studies, love of commerce 
and mental labor, and promptitude in action and thought. 
But, alas! Mercury is also the ''God of rogues," and in 
excess it gives impudence, thievish propensities, lying, false- 
hood, and bad faith; absence of the mount indicates no 
aptitude for mental work, — a negative existence, unless 
other mounts supply qualities which overbalance its deficit. 

The Mount of Mars, at the side of the hand (See chart), 
is just below the Mount of Mercury, and when well- 
developed indicates courage, ardor, resolution, self-govern- 
ment, coolness in danger, and devotion. It is only when 
it greatly predominates that its influence degenerates into 
quarrelsomeness, tyranny, injustice, and revenge; and its 
absence implies cowardice and want of self-command. 

The Mount of the Moon, at the base of the hand, opposite 
that of Venus, exercises a strong influence over the imagi- 
nation, and this influence is increased in those persons born 
near midnight, who are extremely imaginative, " subject to 
see visions, dream dreams"; they love mystery, solitude, 
and meditation, are sensitive to harmony, and sufifer from 
discord and noise. In excess, caprice, morbid melancholy, 
fantastic imagination, superstition, fanaticism, and brain- 
troubles are indicated; while its absence marks a matter- 
of-fact, literal character, barren of original thought and all 
appreciation of romance and poetry. 

The cheirosophist explains the development of the 
mounts according to the supply of nerve-force which they 
receive from the planet influencing them; and they are by 



3IO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

no means to be read singly, because the worst indications 
may be overbalanced by contrary influences in other parts 
of the hand. We are reminded, also, that " Though the 
stars influence us, God rules the stars '"; and that we should 
accept evil indications as warnings of unfortunate traits of 
character, which with Divine help we can overcome. 

The lines of the hand are the field which offers the 
readiest opportunity for the exercise of the amateur 
palmist's entertaining accomplishment. The most impor- 
tant line in the hand is, of course, the Line of Life, which, 
starting midway between Jupiter — index-finger — and the 
thumb, surrounds the ]\Iount of \'enus. The lower it ex- 
tends in the hand, even merging into the Rascette, or brace- 
let, surrounding the wrist, the longer the life. A short Life- 
line is, however, by no means to be considered as a death 
warrant; for with improved health it has been known to 
lengthen. " Long, clear, straight, and well-colored, it de- 
notes long life, good health, and a good character and dis- 
position. Pale and broad, it indicates ill-health, evil in- 
stincts, and a weak, envious disposition. Thick and red, it 
betrays violence and brutality of mind; chained, it indi- 
cates delicacy; and of varying thicknesses, a capricious, 
fickle temper." The ages at which events have happened 
or are likely to occur are indicated on this and the Saturnian 
lines (See chart showing " Age as Computed on Lines of 
Life and Fate"). For example: an "island" — so-called 
from the line's dividing into two slender threads, travelling 
in parallel lines, and again uniting — on the upper part of the 
Life-line marks an illness in childhood. At the summit of 
the line, mystery in connection with the birth is indicated 
by this mark. 

If the line be broken in one hand, and continued in the 
other, a very grave illness bringing the subject near death 
is indicated. A double Line of Life, also called Line of 
^lars, shows great vitality and is considered very fortunate. 
In this connection, the lower ]\Iount of ]^Iars, ignored by 



HOW THE LINES OF THE HAND ARE READ. 31 1 

most amateurs, should be mentioned. It is found beneath 
the Mount of Jupiter, and the secondary Hfe-hne sometimes 
extends from it downward. The fullness of this mount in- 
dicates wealth and increases mental power and the sense of 
honor and justice. The Line of Mars influences only that 
part of the life during which it is a companion of the Life- 
line. Clearly defined it corrects deficiencies in the main 
line, but it, too, may be exaggerated; when deep, broad, 
and red in color it has Mars' faults of intense passions and 
violence. Great breadth in the Mount of Venus throwing 
the Life-line out into the palm indicates longevity. 

The Line of the Head is the gauge of intellectual ability. 
It is usually united at its starting-point with the. Line of 
Life, and separated from the Heart-line by the Quadrangle. 
Straight, long, and clear, this line indicates good judgment, 
clear intellect, and a strong will to overcome the obstacles 
of life fearlessly. It should not extend straight across the 
hand, quite over the Mount of Mars, as that indicates 
selfishness to the point of avarice, unless corrected by a 
good Heart-line. When forked at the end, finesse and 
diplomacy are indicated, and an ability to see all sides of a 
question. If it descends to the Moon's mount in one hand 
— especially, the left, the hand of thought — and terminates 
on Mars in the other, it marks intuition united with de- 
ductive power, which is a strong combination and gives 
versatility. If this line approach too near the Heart-line, 
liability to asthma is foretold. If in both hands the line ex- 
tends far down upon the Moon's mount, imagination is in 
excess, inclined to superstition and mysticism. When it 
clings too long to the Life-line want of self-reliance, and 
self-consciousness and over-sensitiveness are indicated. 
When a long, good Head-line is separated from the Line of 
Life at the starting-point it indicates self-confidence and 
impulsiveness, and recklessness or fearlessness with regard 
to dangers which menace the subject's own life. " With the 
planets of Mars and Jupiter in excess, the Line of Head 



312 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

separated from the Line of Life gives audacity and enthu- 
siasm, and, therefore, success." 

When any hne in the hand is chained in small lines or 
links it detracts from the good qualities of the line, indi- 
cating a want of fixedness of purpose. A broken Head- 
line is an indication of extreme vacillation; and headaches 
are marked by a chained line; while islands denote worry 
and anxiety. The turning-up of this line towards any of the 
mounts indicates undue influence from them. 

The Line of the Heart runs along at the foot of the finger- 
mounts, and should be clear, well-colored, and extend 
across the palm to the percussion of the hand, rising on the 
Mount of Jupiter, and if forked there all the better. The 
higher its rise on Jupiter, the stronger and purer the heart 
affections; when it turns around the base of this mount, 
almost forming a circle, the ancient Cheiromancists called 
it " Solomon's Ring," and considered it indicated an apti- 
tude for the occult sciences. If the Heart-line ends under 
Saturn it hints of more material than ideal regard; if with- 
out branches and alike in both hands it indicates a short 
life; a break in it may signify disease of the heart, or a 
disastrous love affair. A chained line is often interpreted 
as signifying fickleness; but is also an indication of weak 
heart-action and palpitation, especially if a broken Girdle 
of Venus (See chart) is present. Such marks indicate ex- 
treme nervous irritability and hysteria. 

The Line of Fate, or Saturnian Line, may start from the 
Rascette, from the Line of Life, from the Plain of Mars 
(See chart), and from the Moon's mount. In the first posi- 
tion, if it runs straight to its mount, tracing a deep, clear 
furrow there, ease and happiness with extreme good fortune 
are indicated. Starting from the Line of Life, the qualities 
of that line will be shared, and happiness and fortune will 
depend on self-effort. When this line starts from the 
Plain of Mars, fortune, if attained, will be the reward of 
struggles and difficulties; and in the fourth case, if it 



GOOD LINES OF FATE AND FORTUNE. 313 

launches directly to its goal on Saturn's Mount, without 
devious twists and turns, it indicates fortune and happiness 
through the favor of the opposite sex. If this moon- 
influenced line loses itself in the Heart-line and that tends 
to Jupiter, it promises an advantageous and happy mar- 
riage. Should the Fate-line cut down through the Rascette 
it portends sorrow and trouble; if it extends up into the 
third phalanx of the Saturnian finger, it shows sinister in- 
fluence from that planet. When it is arrested by the Head- 
line, fortune is interrupted by an error of judgment or by 
brain disease. Rising from the Quadrangle, success comes 
late in life after surmounting many obstacles. When it in- 
clines towards other mounts than its own their strong in- 
fluence is indicated; and so in all lines, every divergence 
from the conventional or typically perfect line shows by its 
direction the nature of the influence; and according to the 
development of the mounts, it may be good or evil. 

The Line of the Sun is also called the Line of Apollo, 
of Brilliancy, and of Fortune; the first and the last are the 
most common names, but some Cheirosophists create con- 
fusion by calling the Saturnian Line also the Line of For- 
tune. The Line of the Sun may start low down in the hand, 
rising from the Life-line, Mount of the Moon, or Plain of 
Mars. It is absent from many hands, but usually found in 
a fortunate one. When straight and well-defined, tracing 
a furrow in its mount, but not cutting into the finger, it 
portends celebrity in literature or art, — poetry, painting, 
sculpture, or music. Other characteristics of the hand will 
indicate the special direction of talent, — whether influenced 
by color, form, or sound; and according to the strength of 
the line success, celebrity, and wealth are assured. When 
other lines and mounts are favorable it is truly a Line of 
Fortune, but in a bad hand it may indicate an ill-use of 
talents. When visible, but much broken, it betrays the 
jack-of-all-trades, who succeeds in none, and a diversity of 
talent which, for want of perseverance in one direction, fails 



314 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

to achieve success. Lines crossing the Line of the Sun are 
obstacles, but if they do not arrest it, they are overcome. 

The Hepatic-line, also called the Line of Health and of 
the Liver, rises at or above the wrist, near the Life-line, and 
goes upward toward the Mount of Mercury. If clear, 
straight, and well-defined, it denotes good health, great 
power of memory, success in business, good blood, and 
harmony in the fluids; when winding and undulating, the 
reverse is indicated. Weakness of heart-action is betrayed 
if it connects with the Line of Life; and if very red where 
it crosses the Head-line, there is danger of apoplexy. 
Should this line take a curved direction, forming a sort of 
half-circle round the mounts of Mercury and the Moon, it 
is called the Line of Presentiment; and when it is clear and 
well-defined the subject would better act upon first impres- 
sions, which are intuitions, and usually the best. If so 
marked in both hands, the gift of second sight is indicated. 
If there are breaks in this line near the Head-line, or it 
unites with it under bad conditions, care should be exer- 
cised not to overtax the brain. A twisted Hepatic-line indi- 
cates biliousness and indigestion; and when of a red color, 
a tendency to fevers. 

The Girdle of Venus (See chart) in a bad hand is a very 
unfavorable sign, indicating unrestrained immoral tenden- 
cies; breaks in the line intensify its signification; but there 
are always possible modifications of bad signs, and a good 
Head-line with favorable mount-developments would show 
that reason controlled the passions and diverted their 
strength to higher purpose. This line is frequently absent, 
but when it is accompanied by large mounts of Venus and 
the Moon an emotional, hysterical temperament is indi- 
cated. 

A most auspicious sign is the magic bracelet or triple 
Rascette-lines, every one having the value of thirty years 
of life, and when clear and well-marked indicating fortune 
and health. When-the upper bracelet is chained, a long life 



MARRIAGE LINES AND SIGNS. 315 

of labor is indicated, but with the encouragement that it 
will bring competency and ease at its close. 

It is impossible to give more than general hints concern- 
ing the lines of influence, which, according to their position, 
are marks of good or evil omen. Lines taking an upward 
direction are usually good, and downward, unlucky. The 
hand of the person leading an active life with many absorb- 
ing interests, who is emotional and thinks deeply, bears 
many of these lines, which must be studied according to 
their direction, the lines from which they spring or cross, 
and the mounts which they affect. Upward branches from 
the Line of Life towards the Plain of Mars are struggles, 
ending in riches and honors for old age. A line raying up- 
ward from this line to the Mount of Jupiter is an omen of 
success through personal effort; and if such line starts 
down on the Venus Mount it is read by many Cheiros- 
ophists as promising a rich and happy marriage. A star on 
the latter mount strengthens the indication. 

Stars are marks of events or circumstances beyond our 
control, and are good or evil according to their position. 
Jupiter being a favorable planet, they indicate there dis- 
tinction and honor; but on the other mounts they bring 
some sort of disaster: on the Plain of Mars, honors and 
miHtary glory are indicated. A cross, also, is usually un- 
favorable, but on Jupiter becomes another marriage-sign, 
and two crosses indicate two marriages. On Saturn it 
accentuates the malefic influence of that planet; and on the 
Sun's Mount indicates a check to artistic ambition. A cir- 
cle on any of the mounts, and especially on that of the 
Sun, signifies success in the favorable qualities of the 
mount; but on the lines it is unfavorable, threatening phys- 
ical disability. A square signifies power and energy, except 
upon Venus, when it portends imprisonment; when it 
encloses a break in main lines it preserves from threatened 
disaster. A triangle signifies aptitudes, and is therefore 
almost invariably favorable; on the Moon only is danger 



31 6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

threatened, her influence over vast bodies of water being 
such that the aptitude is to be drowned; yet Saint-Germain 
says that the triangle even on the j\Ioon indicates " Wis- 
dom in the use of high imaginative facuhies." 

The letter M formed more or less regularly in every hand 
by the three principal lines of Life, Head, and Heart, rep- 
resents the three worlds, material, natural, and Divine. 
Thus, the thumb and Venus surrounded by the Line of Life 
represent the world of sense; the Line of the Head stretch- 
ing across the Plain of Mars, depicts the ever-constant com- 
bat between love and reason in existence, — the natural 
W'Orld; and the Heart-line surrounds the mounts, ''all of 
which are especially influenced by the astral light, or fluid, 
emanating from the planets." It will be seen by reference 
to the chart, that the phalanges of the fingers are corre- 
spondingly divided and influenced, and upon their develop- 
ment depends the reading. Though this is but a sketch of 
the mystery of the hand, it makes the fact plain that to those 
versed in it the hand is eloquent with meaning. 

It has been said that " man speaks with three tongues — 
the word, the tone, and the gesture. The w^ord is the least 
expressive and last to be trusted in this trinity." And 
in his " Comcdie Hiimaine," Balzac says: " We acquire the 
faculty of imposing silence upon our lips, upon our eyes, 
upon our eyebrows, and upon our foreheads; the hand alone 
does not dissemble^no feature is more expressive than 
the hand." Grace and ease of gesture are the result of such 
absolute control that the movements become involuntary, 
dictated by feeling, — that is, the emotion of the moment, — ■ 
without forethought; and the direct path to this graceful 
dexterity, w^hich becomes second nature, is open to every 
intelligent and persevering woman through the practice of 
physical-culture exercises. 

No part of the body responds more promptly or with 
greater sympathy to the Delsartian method than the hands, 
because it is the" highest method, combining ethical and 



CULTURE OF GRACEFUL GESTURE. 317 

mental with physical culture. No graceful gesture is pos- 
sible with a hand which cannot be vitalized and devitalized 
(that is, have the nervous tension withdrawn) at will, and 
always when inactive it should be devitalized. Even the 
angular hand loses its stiffness when relaxed in repose, and 
one of the ways in which women waste nerve-force is to 
keep the motionless hand vitalized with as grim determina- 
tion as if they were clinging to a life line. The special ex- 
ercises for the hands (fully explaining devitalizing) will 
be found in the chapter on physical culture, but it will be 
understood that they do not teach gesture. To be effective, 
gestures must be spontaneous, being the outward expres- 
sion of the inward emotion. When the hands are made 
flexible and you have complete control of them you will 
use them so naturally that the method or art by which you 
acquire the ability will be entirely concealed as all 
mechanism should be. Whistler s„ays: ''Finished work 
should show no trace of work." 

These hints, though, may be helpful guides: Gestures 
should always proceed from the solar plexus outward, and 
as your thoughts pass out through your fingers, the closing 
part of the gesture is, consequently, the opening or spread- 
ing of these. Movements which display effort have in them 
no element of dignity or grace. We should never take 
things from people, we should receive them; and this is just 
the difference between grace and awkwardness. All con- 
strained, tense movements must be shunned. 

Not all beauty of the hand, however, lies in its gestures; 
it has also a beauty of repose. And I want to emphasize 
this, for many women — yes, and men, too — are grievous 
offenders in the matter of indulging in what might be rec- 
ognized as perpetual motion of the hands; making a 
thousand and one futile motions which are utterly devoid 
of object, utility, or reason. Good form frowns on these 
severely, and would, if she could, rebuke every victim of 
this deplorable habit with a '' Tut, tut, child, do be still! " 



3l8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

These absolutely senseless motions are quite generally 
supposed to be the result of nervousness; but, on the con- 
trary, they not only themselves increase ner^'ousness, but 
are often the originating cause, being a constant strain 
upon the nerves. In the seclusion of your private room, 
break yourself of these mannerisms if you are addicted to 
them: Fussing with your hair, pulling your ears, rubbing 
your cheeks or eyes, slipping finger-rings up and down, or 
fussing with any other ornament. Keep your hands away 
from your head and face, and never finger any part of your 
attire; and train them to the beauty of repose when their 
activity is not necessary. Don't engage in idle drummiing 
with the fingers upon the nearest object: and don't, I 
entreat you, rub and pound the arms of a chair in which you 
may be seated, as if it were your occupation to polish them. 
I\Iany a chair has been worn out in this way before real use 
would have defaced it. so this caution will find favor with 
the thrifty housewife. 

If you must have some outlet for part of this superfluous 
energy, always carry woman's weapon, a fan, which will 
protect you from committing some of the gaucherics 
enumerated. But don't let it become a snare in its turn, 
and acquire the absurd habit of tapping your lips with it or 
gnawing it. ]\Ien sometimes use their canes in this way. 
The real root of these awkward and annoying habits lies 
in self-consciousness, the niauz'aise honte of the French; and 
the true remedy is such interest in others that we forget 
ourselves. AMien these nervous movements become 
habitual they are, of course, performed unconsciously and 
are the harder to correct, and any tendency in childhood to 
indulge in them should be restrained. 

For that phase of awkward self-consciousness which is 
described as '' feeling as if you were all hands," an ingenious 
Parisian professor of deportment prescribed, with great suc- 
cess, this remedy, founded upon the belief that to secure 
graceful control ol the hands in both action and inaction, 



TO OVERCOME SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. 3I9 

it was only necessary to forget them: Drop the arms in 
front of you and wring the hands violently for five minutes. 
The theory is that this so numbs them that they lose con- 
sciousness for a time and do- not remind the too-conscious 
self of their existence, and this brief forgetfulness gives the 
needed confidence which banishes awkwardness. Many 
persons have tried this with perfect success, after a month's 
daily practice of the exercise declaring that they had en- 
tirely overcome the uncomfortable abnormal consciousness 
which was the source of the trouble, and at the same time 
gained surprising and gratifying ease in their movements 
and gestures. 

The skin of the hand, in its color and texture, is only 
secondary in importance to that of the face; and, while it 
is not liable to many of the imperfections and blemishes 
which threaten the latter, it is often exposed to very hard 
usage, and constant care is required to keep it in good con- 
dition. The attraction the hand gains, however, through 
this care, amply repays every woman for the trouble. Noth- 
ing more surely betrays an absence of daintiness in per- 
sonal care than neglect of the hands ; and though, naturally, 
women who do their own housework find it more difficult 
than others to keep their hands soft, white, and unblem- 
ished, it yet is even possible for them; and the comfort 
and mental satisfaction thus derived are well worth the pre- 
cautions necessary. 

All extremes of temperature, and especially the splashing 
the hands alternately in hot and in cold water, should be 
avoided; yet if it is absolutely necessary to thrust the 
hands in extremely hot water, holding them first for a few 
moments on ice will protect them. As a rule, they should 
not be put in either very hot or very cold water. Severe 
cold is an enemy to woman in a great many ways, de- 
ranging her circulation, and thereby entailing many evils. 
And in this connection Hippocrates' seventeenth aphorism 
is timely: ''Cold is inimical to the bones, the teeth, the 



320 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

nerves, the brain, and the spinal marrow, but heat is 
beneficial." 

Immaculate cleanliness is, of course, a first and impera- 
tive law. Xever wash your hands except you do it thor- 
oughly; continually dabbing them into cold water, just 
" rinsing," grinds the dirt in and is ruinous to the texture 
of the skin, making it rough, coarse, and red. Tepid or 
warm water should be used, and good soap is an absolute 
necessity. Soft water is also important, and if you haven't 
it you should keep a bottle of ammonia or a box of powdered 
borax on the toilet-stand. A few drops of the one or a salt- 
spoonful of the other will soften a bowl of hard water. 

Cheap soaps are strong with alkali, and their use will 
ruin the best skin. To preserve or promote its delicacy a 
mild, pure, and emollient soap, one abounding in oil, — and 
best of all, vegetable oil — is necessary. As women through 
knowledge of its importance have grown mor^ exigeant 
concerning its purity, manufacturers have improved the 
quality of their products and it is now a comparatively sim- 
ple matter to secure good soap. ]\Iany complexion-special- 
ists insist upon the use of white Castile soap, but though I 
have always used it for my teeth, the odor it leaves upon the 
hands is so disagreeable to me that I never use it for bath- 
ing unless chance compels. I have, however, in spite of 
repugnance to its scent (being by nature an experimenter 
and investigator), given it a faithful trial and found it did 
not agree with my skin so well as violet or lavender soaps 
of standard makes. As a rule the choice should be confined 
to white or light brown soaps as these are most apt to fill 
all conditions of purity. 

The basis of good toilet-soaps is generally a mixture of 
eight or nine parts of suet and one part of olive-oil, saponi- 
fied by caustic soda; or suet-soap or what is known to the 
trade as best white curd-soap is mixed in like proportion 
with white Castile soap (olive-oilV A fine almond soap is 
made of the best white curd and Castile soaps in the pro- 



THE MAKING OF GOOD SOAPS. 32I 

portion of one seventh of the latter to six sevenths of the 
former, and perfumed with one ounce of essential oil of 
almonds to four and a half pounds of soap. The soaps are 
shaved and melted in a bain-marie; if new and consequently 
moist no water is needed, but if old, a little may be required; 
keep covered while heating, and when thoroughly blended 
cool a little, then add the perfumed oil. Pour into moulds 
to harden. In the same manner the following are made : 

CINNAMON SOAP. 

White curd soap 3 pounds 

Palm-oil soap i^ pounds 

White Castile soap ^ pound 

Oil of cinnamon ^ ounce 

Oil of bergamot i drachm 

Oil of sassafras I drachm 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) ^drachm 

The English maker whose formula this is, colors the 
mixture with yellow ochre, but that is better left out. In- 
sist upon having oil of cinnamon, for which, in inferior 
qualities, oil of cassia is often substituted, greatly to the 
loss of the antiseptic value of the soap. 

VIOLET SOAP. 

Palm-oil soap 3 pounds 

Olive-oil soap i pound 

White curd soap 3 pounds 

Tincture of orris-root i ounce 

Essence of cassie i ounce 

This can be colored with tincture of litmus, or a little 
indigo. The best lavender soap has for its basis the familiar 
brown Windsor soap and is scented with Mitcham oil of 
lavender — a half-ounce to three pounds of soap — supported 
with a soupgon of oil of bergamot and essences of musk 
and ambergris ; and it, too, is colored with indigo or tinc- 
ture of litmus. Rondeletia soap can be made of the same 
basis and scented with one ounce of the essence of ron- 



322 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

deletia— formula for which is given in the chapter on per- 
fumes — or with equal proportions of the oils of lavender and 
cloves. 

A very fine rose soap is made as follows : 

SAVON A LA ROSE. 

White Castile soap (pure) 3 pounds 

White curd soap 2 pounds 

Distilled water Va pint 

Melt together in a copper-pan set in a water-bath, or in 
a bain-marie, and add of 

Vermilion (powdered) }i ounce 

After the mixture has cooled a little stir in : 

Otto of roses i drachm 

Oil of bergamot. i^/4 drachms 

Oil of cinnamon. ^ drachm 

Oil of cloves ^ drachm 

Oil of rose-geranium ^ drachm 

A famous Continental soap, said to be in use at the courts 
of Europe, is made of pure olive-oil. One quart of oil is 
put into a large porcelain kettle and brought to a boiling- 
point, when three pints of boiling water, in which four table- 
spoonfuls of refined potash have been previously dissolved 
(also strained), are poured slowly into it ; stir constantly 
and let the mixture boil slowly — without chance of burning 
— till it will thicken like jelly when cooled on a marble slab 
or plate. The stirring should be done with a wooden spoon, 
and when the soap is partly cooled — before liardening at all 
— perfume with two drachms each of oil of lavender and 
cloves, or with oils of verveine and rose-geranium. The 
tinctures of ambergris and musk, and essences of neroli, jas- 
mine, and rose were used in the old court formulae. It 
should be put up in smallporcelain jars, and is all the better 
for being kept six months or a year before using. 



THE CARE OF THE HAND. 323 

Given good soap and soft, warm water as preliminary, the 
hands should be thoroughly lathered, a brush used upon the 
nails, and when necessary, to remove stains and grime that 
resist soap, resort must be had to a little lemon juice or a 
pumice-stone; rinse and partially dry on a towel. Then pour 
a few drops of perfumed glycerine into the still-moist palms 
and rub it thoroughly into the hands. Any remaining mois- 
ture must be finahy dried upon the towel. Sometimes a dash 
of violet talcum-powder or corn-starch, applied when the 
glycerine is half-rubbed in, has a very softening effect. 
Those persons with whom glycerine does not agree can use 
with almost equal benefit in its place pure honey, which is 
extremely healing, emollient, and whitening. 

This treatment followed systematically, that is, every 
time the hands are washed, will keep the average hands and 
normal skin in such perfect condition that recourse to un- 
guents and cosmetic gloves will seldom, if ever, be necessary. 
Unfortunately there are many sensitive skins which look 
not only none too well under ordinary treatment, but are 
easily roughened and reddened by the very slightest ex- 
posure to unusual conditions. It goes hard vv^ith these 
hands to pass through the vicissitudes of housework, but 
care will save even them. Instead of frequently washing 
them in water, a few drops of palm or olive oil rubbed into 
them thoroughly, then, dusting with talcum-powder, and a 
final wiping upon a coarse towel, will cleanse them and 
protect the flesh from growing callous when wielding the 
manifold implements of routine work. Such hands must be 
spared, too, by wearing old, loose, kid gloves for all specially 
hard or rough work, and never be exposed to cold air with- 
out covering. 

Many sensitive hands which resent too frequent use of 
soap take most kindly to saponaceous or detersive powders. 
An excellent one for whitening and softening the skin, 
which can be used on the face as well as hands, is 



324 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ALMOND POWDER. 

Blanched almonds (powdered) 8 ounces 

Cuttle-fishbone (powdered) 4 ounces 

White Castile soap (powdered) 4 ounces 

Orris-root (powdered) 2 ounces 

Oil of cloves ^ drachm 

Oil of lavender i drachm 

Mix the orris-root with the almonds, then add the scented 
oils, stirring in gradually ; lastly, add the powdered soap 
and cuttle-fish bone. This is easily made at home and you 
have the satisfaction of knowing that the ingredients are 
all pure. The compounds of bran, strong soap, and almond 
husks sold under the same name are quite a different thing ; 
and the caution cannot be too strongly emphasized that all 
cosmetic and toilet preparations should be bought of a 
reliable chemist. 

Still another ef^cacious powder which, used instead of 
soap, will whiten and soften the skin of face or hands, is 
made of two ounces each of powdered marsh-mallow root 
and carbonate of soda stirred into twelve ounces of barley 
meal. An excellent English formula for a saponaceous 
paste which is bleaching in its effects, but must not be used 
on chapped or bruised hands, is made of two ounces of old 
Windsor or almond soap, shaved, and dissolved in two 
ounces of fresh lemon-juice ; when thoroughly mingled, 
add one ounce each of oil of bitter almonds and glycerine 
and a half-ounce of carbonate of potassium. 

The most delicate preparations for sensitive hands are 
the farinaceous pastes, which being free from alkali form 
an emulsion with water and are next in their beautifying 
properties to a milk bath. 

PATE D'AMANDES AU MIEL. 

Honey Yz pound 

Expressed oil of almond ^ pound 

Bitter almonds (blanched and pow'd) Ya, pound 
Yolk of eggs 8 yolks 



EMOLLIENT PASTES AND POWDERS. 325 

Oil of bergamot i drachm 

Oil of lemon ^ drachm 

Oil of cloves ^ drachm 

Beat the yolks and add them to the honey and oils, then 
stir in the bitter almonds. 

SAPONACEOUS COSMETIC PASTE. 

White Castile soap (shaved fine) ^ pound 

Almond paste i pound 

Carbonate of potassium i ounce 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) i drachm 

Oil of citron ^ drachm 

Oil of cloves ^ drachm 

Oil of bergamot i drachm 

Blanche the almonds in boiling water, bruise them in a 
mortar, and put them with the soap in a bain-marie to heat, 
beating all into a smooth paste as the soap melts ; then add 
the potassium, and after the mixture is partially cooled stir 
in the oils. Keep in porcelain jars. A similar formula re- 
places the almonds with a like quantity of horse-chestnuts 
— treated similarly — and adds a half-ounce of sugar. 

A very simple French formula for almond powder which 
is highly commended is the following: 

POUDRE D'AMANDES AMERES. 

Bitter almonds ^^ pound 

Rice powder 4^ ounces 

Carbonate of potassium 3 drachms 

Oil of bergamot 114 drachms 

A detergent and bleaching perfumed water which is 
beneficial for the face and neck as well as the hands is the 
following: 

VIENNESE COSMETIC WATER. 

Bruised almonds i ounce 

Orange-flower water 4 ounces 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

Borate of soda (borax) ^ drachm 

Spirits of benzoin i drachm 



320 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Make the first three into an emulsion; let it stand 
twenty-f our hours, filter, add the soda, agitate till dissolved ; 
then add the benzoin, drop by drop, under continual agi- 
tation. Use in the badi-water, or apply undiluted to dis- 
colorations; and rub into the moist hands in connection 
with glycerine or honey to refine coarse, red skin. 

Xot all the care in the world, however, lavished upon the 
skin of the hand will make it beautiful unless the nails re- 
ceive special attention and training. With regard to them 
Mctor Hugo said : " God took His softest clay and His 
purest colors and made a fragile jewel, mysterious and 
caressing — the fingers of a woman — then he fell asleep. 
The Devil awoke, and at the end of that rosy finger put — 
a nail." Certainly his Satanic Majesty^'s handicraft is sug- 
gested by some of the uncouth, ill-cared-for nails which so 
frequently oltend our eyes. And the pity of it is that the 
folk who are the worst offenders in this respect are the 
hardest to reach with advice, criticism, or admonition. 
They are too often encased in a tough, inelastic conceit that 
justifies to themselves any carelessness of personal habit. 

The condition of the nails in their shape and color and 
sheen is the crowning attraction of a beautiful hand: and 
as they show the slightest neglect, we are apt to judge of a 
stranger's culture and refinement by these indisputable evi- 
dences of personal care and fastidiousness. Among the 
small mercies for which we ought to be devoutly thankful 
is the passing of that hideous and idiotic fad, the bird's-claw 
nail. That shocking deformity- had a longer vogue than 
the victims of the disgusting mania will any of them ^Wsh 
to acknowledge, now that "form" has voted it a back 
number: and it is hard to understand under what hallucina- 
tion the fashion could ever have been viewed with the least 
favor. 

The dainty woman cannot take too good care of her nails, 
as they either beautify or disfigure the fingers, and an at- 
tractive hand is impossible without pretr\- nails. They im- 



EVERY WOMAN HER OWN MANICURE. 327 

prove rapidly with culture, which transforms the roughest, 
ugliest-shaped, and dullest-hued nails into sheeny, trans- 
parent, shell-like, almond-shaped tips. Every woman en- 
dowed with average common sense and adaptability can 
train herself to be her own manicure, and she does not even 
need an elaborately fitted manicure-case for the dainty task. 
Four implements suffice, — and, indeed, three are all that 
are absolutely necessary, — and the simplest do the work as 
efifectively as the most expensive. The slender, sharp, 
curved scissors, a nail-file, and a chamois-covered polisher 
will answer all purposes, but an orange-stick may be added 
for keeping the cuticle, or scarf-skin, back from the nail. 

As a preparation for manicuring the nails, the fingers 
should be held for a few minutes in a bowl of warm, soapy 
water in which a little tincture of benzoin has been poured, 
or aromatic vinegar or perfumed water. This softens the 
nails so they can be cut or filed without breaking. They 
should be kept just the length of the fingers, and trimmed 
in a graceful, oval curve; in this way they serve the pur- 
pose for which Nature intended them, to protect the sen- 
sitive tip of the finger and give it strength in holding. After 
trimming the nails, and while they are still soft from the 
action of the aromatic warm water, push the scarf-skin 
down closely about the roots, where the delicate pearly- 
hued lunula should, by showing distinctly, give the crown- 
ing proof of well-cared-for nails. If this operation has been 
neglected and the. scarf-skin has grown up on the nail, do 
not trim it ofT as some direct, for thereby trouble begins. 
It will take time and patience to correct the neglect, but a 
few weeks' attention will accomplish wonders. Push the 
skin back gently and carefully, with the pointed tip of your 
file, or wanting this use the thumb-nail of your other hand; 
if necessary lift the skin from the nail, but avoid break- 
ing it as it will almost certainly result in a painful and 
harassing crop of agnails, — commonly called hangnails. 

If tinted cosmetic powder be used on the nails, it must 



328 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

be with great discretion, for a deep tint, giving an artificial 
appearance, is vulgar, and frequent use of it together with 
much polishing thickens the nails and destroys their deli- 
cacy. A little polishing powder may be used once or 
twice a week, and a light rubbing with the chamois polisher 
every day gives the finishing touch to the manicuring. 
Never clean the nails with a pointed instrument. If the 
nails be too hard and brittle, rub a little vaseline, cold 
cream, or almond-oil on them at night; if delicate and ten- 
der, wax and alum will strengthen them. A useful adjunct 
to the washstand is a cut lemon, which should find a place 
beside the borax box and the ammonia bottle. It, too, 
strengthens the nails, and will correct a tendency to agnails 
and to the growth of the scarf-skin upon the nail. 

The following pomade is a French formula commended 
for fragile nails which break easily. It should be applied 
at night, and a pair of loose kid gloves drawn on the hands: 

PISTACHE POMADE. 

Pistache oil ^^ ounce 

Table salt 32 grains 

Powdered resin ^3 grains 

Powdered alum S3 grains 

White wax 80 grains 

Carmine 2 grains 

Melt the wax and resin together in a hain-marie, stirring 
the mixture as it heats, then add the oil, salt, alum, and 
carmine in the order named; beat to a smooth pomade, and 
pour into wide-mouthed porcelain jars. Apply it to the 
nails with a tiny wad of absorbent cotton. Another pomade 
which is simply for tinting the nails is this : 

NAIL ROUGE. 

Powdered carmine (fine) i drachm 

Fresh lard 2 drachms 

Oil of bergamot 24 drops 

Essence of" Cyprus 12 drops 



NAIL COSMETICS. 329 

Beat all the ingredients together in a mortar and heat in 
a baiii-juaric, stirring as before to a smooth paste. Apply 
to the nails with a camel's-hair brush or bit' of absorbent 
cotton, and after a few minutes wipe ofT with fine linen. 

Very fine emery tinted with carmine is the simplest nail- 
powder used, but much better for the nails is oxide of tin, 
perfumed with a few drops of oil of lavender or violets, and 
tinted with carmine. The oxide of tin, which must be an 
impalpable powder, has the special property of developing 
the coveted ivory-like grain and softness of the nail, but 
no powder should be used oftener than once or twice a week. 
After polishing, dip the tips of the fingers once more in the 
bowl of water, and wipe dry, taking care to remove every 
trace of the powder. The following French formulae have 
found much favor, and are similar to those sold by all re- 
liable chemists : 

NAIL POWDER. 

Violet talcum-powder ^ ounce 

Boric acid (pulverized) ^ ounce 

Powdered starch ^ ounce 

Tincture of carmine 15 drops 

POUDRE D'OXYDE D'ETAIN. 

Oxide of tin 5 drachms 

Boric acid 2 drachms 

Talcum-powder i drachm 

Essence of lavender 30 drops 

Essence of cloves 20 drops 

Tincture of carmine 10 drops 

The wiping of the hands is an important matter, and, 
habit being second nature, it is wise to instruct children in 
this respect as soon as they are old enough to perform the 
office for themselves. Half-wiped hands, exposed to cold, 
chap badly, and this is a frequent cause of painful chil- 
blains. Wipe each finger toward the tips, with a firm 



330 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

pressure between the thumb and index-finger of the other 
hand ; press back the membrane from every nail with the 
thumb-nail wrapped in the towel ; and when perfectly dry, 
press the tips of the fingers firmly downwards, towards the 
hand, as if smoothing on a pair of new gloves. This will 
correct the tendency of the flesh to intrude upon the nail, 
reduce pufTness there, and, if begun in childhood, greatly 
influence the shape of the fingers. Children are such imita- 
tive monkeys that they need watching to prevent their dis- 
torting their hands by odd tricks of twisting the joints. 
These habits are very easily acquired in utter unconscious- 
ness of their after-efifects, and often cause curiously mis- 
shapen and enlarged knuckles. Many crooked noses, 
ill-shaped mouths, and wide-flapping ears are caused by 
similar tricks of twisting and pulling these easily moulded 
members into grotesque shapes ; and the gentle admonition 
of wise forethought will save after-regrets. 

The white spots which sometimes deface the nails are 
caused by a stoppage in the flow of the nutrient juices. A 
paste made of equal parts of refined pitch, or of turpentine, 
and myrrh melted and mixed together and spread upon the 
nails at night will remove these. A little olive-oil applied in 
the morning will take it of¥. A bruised nail should be held 
in as hot water as can be borne for a half-hour. This will 
usually prevent the blood's settling under it, and turning 
black or blue. 

Young girls and delicate women whose physical condi- 
tion is disturbed are frequently annoyed by abnormal per- 
spiration from the hands, which are so cold and moist to 
the touch that contact with them is most disagreeable. A 
very simple remedy which will in many cases correct the 
trouble is to bathe them several times daily with this so- 
lution : 

FOR MOIST HANDS. 

Cologne. 4 ounces 

Tincture of belladonna • V2 ounce 



LOTIONS AND POWDERS FOR PERSPIRING HANDS. 33 1 

After rubbing this in, powder with orris-root or with violet 
talcum-powder. More serious cases will find a remedy in 
the following lotion, which is also efficacious for the face, 
arresting abnormal greasiness : 

ASTRINGENT LOTION. 

Rose-water 6 ounces 

Elder-flower water 2 ounces 

Simple tincture of benzoin ^ ounce 

Tannic acid 10 grains 

An effective powder for the same purpose, to be used on 
the hands, with or without the above, is this: 

POWDER FOR MOIST HANDS. 

Oxide of zinc 2 drachms 

Boracic acid 2 drachms 

Lycopodium powder 4 drachms 

Starch i ounce 

Orris-root (powdered) ^ ounce 

The addition of a little aromatic vinegar or spirits of 
camphor to the water in which such hands are bathed is 
beneficial. A French formula for a stimulating lotion which 
should be rubbed into the palms very thoroughly is com- 
mended by Andre-Valdes, but it would be so disagreeable 
to some women that the remedy would seem worse than 
the disease: 

STIMULATING LOTION. 

Isinglass 2 drachms 

Turpentine 2 drachms 

Oxide of zinc ointment 4 drachms 

After brisk friction, powder with orris-root or violet tal- 
cum-powder. 

Dry mustard moistened with a little water or rubbed dry 
upon damp hands Is an excellent agent for cleansing them 
after handling disagreeable or strongly odorous substances, 
such as onions, codfish, cod-liver oil, musk, or valerianic 



332 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

acid and all its salts. The only infallible stain-eradicator 
is oxalic acid, a solution of which should be kept at hand, 
in a distinctly recognizable bottle — that cannot be con- 
founded with another — marked with red ink. A pumice- 
stone, too, will take off nearly all stains, including ink, from 
the nails as well as skin. It is useful also to smooth all 
minor indurations, as the marks of thread on the first finger 
when sewing. 

A blister should not be broken, but the water may be let 
out by running through it a needle threaded with a bit of 
white wool soaked in an antiseptic solution. Leave a bit 
of the wool in the blister; it will absorb the water, prevent 
the entrance of any grit or dirt, and when the new skin 
forms beneath, the old skin will peel of¥. 

The pain of a superficial burn can be immediately allayed 
by dusting it over with charcoal powder, and it will quickly 
heal it. For slight cuts and bruises, there is no more heal- 
ing lotion than diluted solution of carbolic-acid mixed with 
glycerine in the proportion of one ounce of the acid to a 
half-ounce of glycerine. 

More severe burns and painful scalding when an ex- 
tended surface is involved can be soothed and healed with 
one of these lotions: 

NO. I. FOR BURNS AND SCALDS. 

Creosote 15 drops 

Cocaine, hydrochlorate 10 grains 

Lime-water ^ pint 

Linseed oil Yi pint 

Of: 

NO. 2. 

Boracic acid 2 drachms 

Glycerine 2 ounces 

Olive-oil 2 ounces 

Apply constantly to the surface with soft, old linen, or 
absorbent cotton ; and, at the same time, if necessary, pow- 
der with this mixture: 



• BURNS AND SCALDS, AND CHAPPED HANDS. 333 

Bicarbonate of sodium 3^ ounce 

Subnitrate of bismuth ^ ounce 

It is Oxi record that an English physician cured a very 
severe case of burning, over the whole of the breast, by ap- 
plications of ice, which prevented the usual suppurative 
process and all the trouble which usually attends the 
cicatrizing of a wound. It healed without leaving any scar. 

If through some injury a nail be lost, the tip of the finger 
should be dipped in warm wax several times till a coat is 
given it which will protect while encouraging the growth 
of the new nail. 

The inflammation caused by handling poison-ivy is 
allayed by bathing the parts in a weak alkaline solution — a 
teaspoonful of soda to a quart of water — or in lime-water. 
If very painful the addition of a little laudanum will prove a 
sedative. Bathing with fresh cream is also efhcacious. 

Chapped hands are usually the result of neglect or care- 
lessness, and their relief will require twice the care and at- 
tention, which bestowed daily would have prevented the 
pain and discomfort. A very soothing remedy is to bathe 
them at night in a clear pulp made of linseed meal and 
bitter-almond oil; after rubbing this in gently but thor- 
oughly, rinse in a solution of benzoin, — one part of the 
tincture to sixteen of hot water, — dry carefully, and pow- 
der with violet talcum-powder. A very healing emollient 
pomade is this : 

POMADE FOR CHAPPED HANDS. 

Cocoa-butter i ounce 

Oil of sweet almonds i ounce 

Oxide of zinc i drachm 

Borax i drachm 

Oil of bergamot 6 drops 

Heat the cocoa-butter and oil of almonds in a hain-marlc, 
and when thoroughly blended add the zinc and borax; stir 
as it cools, and add the oil of bergamot last. Oxide of zinc 



334 '^'^E WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

ointment is also very healing, being astringent, stimulating, 
and desiccative. It is so useful in all cases of excoriation, 
chaps, moist eruptions, burns, and scalds that it is advisable 
to have it always at hand. It is made by adding one part 
of the oxide of zinc, in very fine powder, to six parts of 
simple ointment. Mix by trituration in an earthen or mar- 
ble mortar. The simple ointment — iinguentum cetacei — is 
the base of most of the so-called cold creams: 

SPERMACETI OINTMENT. 

Spermaceti 2^ ounces 

White wax i ounce 

Almond oil 3^ pint 

Mix in a bain-marie, as directed for cold creams. A cau- 
tion with regard to all these mixtures is to melt them at 
the lowest possible temperature, avoiding any excess of 
heat. The almond-oil is added last, under continual stirring. 
Prepare in the same way the following glycerine cream, 
which is both healing and softening, and protects the skin 
from the burning eiTect of sun and wind. Add the glyc- 
erine after the oil of almonds; pour in the rose-water in a 
fine, steady stream, beating the mixture steadily as the 
water flows in. The perfumed oils are always added last, 
after the cream is near the congealing point. 

GLYCERINE CREAM. 

Oil of almonds V2 pint 

White wax 5 drachms 

Spermaceti 5 drachms 

Glycerine i^ ounces 

Oil of bergamot ij/^ drachms 

Oil of lemon i^ drachms 

Oil of geranium i^ drachms 

Oil of neroli 40 drops 

Oil of cinnamon 40 drops 

Rose-water 5 ounces 

Those painful inflammatory affections, chilblains, are also 



THE PREVENTION AND CURE OF CHILBLAINS. 335 

much more easily prevented than cured. When there is a 
predisposition to them, plenty of exercise to promote 
healthful circulation of the blood must be had every day. 
Emollient lotions should always be rubbed into the hands 
after washing them; if frequently wet, they must be pro- 
tected from the action of water as much as possible by 
the use of oils; gloves should be worn whenever possible; 
and every effort must be made to protect them from severe 
cold. Before the skin cracks counter-irritants are recom- 
mended; as, painting the parts twice a day with strong 
tincture of iodine, friction with oil of turpentine or cam- 
phorated vaseline, or a glycerinated lotion of sal-ammoniac. 
A powder which has healing virtues and is agreeable to use 
is made by the following formula: 

EMOLLIENT POWDER. 

Orris-root (powdered) 3 drachms 

Bran 3 drachms 

Almond hulls (powdered) i^ ounces 

Pulverized mustard 4 drachms 

Benzoin ^ drachm 

Borax i drachm 

Alum % drachm 

Oil of Portugal 15 drops 

Oil of bergamot 15 drops 

The French physician Dr. Brocq advises that hands 
afflicted with chilblains be washed always in a warm de- 
coction of walnut leaves; and this treatment is commended 
to follow: Rub the affected parts with spirits of camphor, 
and afterwards dust over them this powder: 

CHILBLAIN POWDER. 

Salicylate of bismuth 2^ drachms 

Powdered starch sVs ounces 

A cooling lotion to be used at night, followed by the pow- 
der, is this: 



^^6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Glycerine i^ ounces 

Rose-water i; 2 ounces 

Tannin I drachm 

x\notlier lotion is made of equal parts of the tinctures of 
capsicum and opium, which can be applied tAvo or three 
times daily by wetting bandages in it. 

When the chilblains are ulcerated and broken, one of the 
following lotions may be applied three times a day with 
linen bandages: 

CHILELAIX LOTIOX. 

Ghcerine I ounce 

Tincture of iodine 20 grains 

Tincture of opium 20 grains 

]\Iix and agitate till thoroughh^ mingled. 

HOXEY LOTION. 

Tincture of catechu 2 ounces 

Honej- (clear syrup ) i' 2 ounces 

Elder-flower water 7 ounces 

The last may be rubbed on. and if bandages are not re- 
quired, the affected parts may be dusted with one of the 
healing powders. The following is a celebrated formula for 
unbroken chilblains: 

LETEUXE'5 CHILELAIX BALSAM. 

Iodide of potassium 5 drachms 

Solution of diacetate of lead i ounce 

Tincture of benzoin 34x)unce 

Camphor i drachm 

Proof spirit (made with rose-water).. 2'y2 ounces 

Dissolve camphor in spirits, add other ingredients, and 
agitate till thoroughly mixed ; then add a solution of 

Curd-soap i^i ounces 

Proof spirit (as above) 2- i ounces 



WARTS AND OTHER BLEMISHES. 337 

To be applied several times daily, according to need, with 
friction. All of these remedies are also effective for the 
same trouble in the feet. 

Those annoying blemishes, warts, which haunt some 
bands, and which seem, from their mysterious comings and 
o^oings, to be in league with the necromancer, can, it is 
averred, be driven away by bathing them with the sticky, 
milky juice of the milk-weed. The mere mention of warts 
revives the happy madness of childhood with its innocent 
superstitions and its magic incantations for the disappear- 
ance of these wanderers. Only the matter-of-fact person 
who misses the delicious humor of " Alice in Wonderland " 
resists the inclination at such times to repeat with mock 
earnestness some of the magic lore: How that these mys- 
terious shadow-like pests are shy of being talked about, 
and, withal, a little obstinate, so it is best to take no friend 
into confidence when you administer the important inunc- 
tion. For, always, it has been observed that secrecy in the 
matter secures success. It is said also that these petty 
blemishes do not take kindly to salt, and that frequent rub- 
bing with it will drive them away. Wet the spots first and 
let the salt remain on the warts five or ten minutes. Repeat 
several times. There will be no scar. Touching the warts 
with lunar caustic — which turns the skin black and must be 
confined to the blemish it is to eat away — and with acetic 
acid are more serious remedies which doctors apply; and 
here is an ointment which acts in a similar manner: 

CRISTIANI'S WART POMADE. 

Soap cerate i ounce 

Powdered savin i drachm 

Powdered verdigris , i drachm 

Spread this on a piece of kid or chamois the size of the 
wart, and keep on over-night. Repeat if necessary. 

Warts are usually confined to the hands, but when there 
is a large one on the face it would better be treated with 
electricity, as that is safe and sure and leaves no scar. Al- 



^$S THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

most always these blemishes on the face partake somewhat 
of the nature of a mole and are of more complicated struc- 
ture than the wart pure and simple; which flits like a shadow 
and shies away if you rub it with a knotted thread and bury 
that thread under a rotten stump in a damp place ! Can't 
you remember how your heart went pit-a-pat with every 
noise of rustling leaf or snapping twig that broke the awe- 
some silence of the woods, and how fast you ran away after 
you had accomplished the daring deed? 

When that constitutional taint, salt rheum — proof of an- 
cestral violation of hygienic laws — manifests itself, a certain 
cure is promised by the following means : Of pure fresh 
lard when melted take a half-teacupful, and simmer in it a 
" small handful " of the inner green bark of common elder 
till the lard becomes of a green color. Pour through a 
gravy strainer into ointment boxes. I should add six drops 
of salicylic acid or ten drops of tincture of benzoin to insure 
the purity of the ointment and as an antiseptic which must 
increase its virtues. Apply at night, covering the hands 
with loose white kid gloves. In the morning wash ofif in soft 
warm water, using some of the emollient powders or pastes 
or else pure Castile soap. A small dose of Epsom salts, 
dissolved in milk, is recommended to be taken the morning 
after the second application of the ointment. 

AVhen it is desired to whiten and soften the hands with 
the least delay possible, it is an advantage to wear cosmetic 
gloves at night. ]\Iany bleaching and emollient pastes are 
compounded for this purpose and spread upon loose kid 
gloves ; but the hands themselves can be^ coated thickly 
with the paste and then the gloves drawn on, which is a 
simpler process : 

PASTE FOR COSMETIC GLOVES. 

M3-rrh I ounce 

Honey 4 ounces 

Yellow wax 2 ounces 

Rose-water 6 ounces 



COSMETIC GLOVES. 339 

Melt the wax in a bain-marie; add the myrrh — powdered 
— while hot; beat thoroughly together, then stir in the 
honey and rose-water, and sufficient glycerine, little by 
little, to make a " spreadable paste." 

For the same purpose are these : 

COSMETIC PASTE. 

Oil of sweet almonds 2 drachms 

Glycerine i drachm 

Rice flour i drachm 

Fresh yolks 2 drachms 

Rose-water i ounce 

Tincture of benzoin 36 drops 

Beat all together till it forms a paste. Because of the 
eggs, this will not keep so long as the foregoing. One 
drachm of refined tar and violet extract beaten into a pint 
of olive-oil is also commended for the same purpose. 

The entire grace and beauty of the hand are destroyed if it 
is confined in tight or ill-fitting gloves. Better by far would 
it be to wear a glove two sizes too large than to cramp it 
into one a half-size too small. The hand loses all its ex- 
pression and becomes a dull clod of woe and pain when 
cramped into an ill-shaped or tight glove; and, the stricture 
of the hand, like that of the foot, is also felt, in disturbed 
circulation, by other parts of the body. 

Freedom, absolute freedom, of every artery, vein, bone, 
and joint in the body is an indispensable condition in the 
culture of its perfection and beauty. And you may not 
pinch even one finger of a hand without incurring some 
penalty. 

Fastidious Parisiennes have their gloves made to order 
because there is very often a slight difference in size be- 
tween the two hands, and this is the only way to insure a fit. 
The right-hand is used so much more than the left that 
it is apt to require a half-size larger glove than its idle fel- 
low; therefore, those who are dependent upon the ready- 



3-r^ 



THE WOMAN EEAVTIFUL. 



made stock, as most American women are, should fit their 
gloves to the larger hand. 

Since nice gloves are an expensive part of a woman's 
wardrobe, and it is :: utmost importance that the}^ should 
look fresh and dainty, a wise woman chooses the serviceable 
russets, tans, and dark grays for street use. The craze of 
recent years for wearing white gloves in the street, is an 
a: ::r :?:::. :: ?': : :: inations, for it has seemed to persert 
am actually _tut:rallze many women's natural instinct for 
scrupulous daintiness. Filthy white gloves are an offense 
to 3-om- neighbor, if yom- own sense is blimted; and it would 
be better far to wear simple gray Lisle gloves than nasty 
white kid ones. 

Kid gloves of medium shades can be verv' neatly cleaned 
at home with the soap-bark pastes, which leave the kid 
soft and impart an agreeable aromatic odor. I give here a 
French formula for the pm^ose, which is pronounced ex- 
cellent 

glo^t: cleaxzr. 

Gtim tragacanth. ^ otmce 

White Castile soap i ounce 

Rose-water. i pint 

Tincture of musk lo drops 

Dissolve the soap in the water, put the gum in, and when 
swelled stir till thoroughly mixed : then strain and perfume. 
Put the gloves on the hands or lay flat on a covered clean- 
ing-board and apply the cleaner vith a bit of s::t f.annel. 
Does not stiffen the gloves. 

Of course a flexile, slender wxist and well-rounded arm 
add to the beaut}* of the hand. Though we caimot change 
the shape of the wrist we can give it flexibilitv- by exercising 
it, and take off superfluous flesh in the same way : or put it 
on where it is needed by massaging with skin-foods or oils 
and developing the muscles with exercise. The astringent 
lotions and emollient pastes which refine the skin of the 



AIDS TO THE BEAUTY OF THE HAND. 34I 

hands will perform the same service for the arms. But 
nothing else has so much influence in giving to the flesh 
firmness and elasticity and exquisite curves, and to the skin 
every quality of beauty as the daily cleansing bath. And 
w^hen all has been done for the external casing of the hand, 
it must be informed with the grace of a beautiful soul to 
acquire its full expression and ability to charm. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE VISIBLE SEAT OF EMOTION: THE MOUTH, LIPS, TEETH, 
NOSE, AND VOICE. 

"' What as Beauty here is won 
We shall as Truth in some hereafter know." 

"Teach not thy lip such scorn; for it was made 
For kissing, lady, not for such contempt." 

The beauty of the mouth, more than of any other feature, 
depends upon woman herself. Her nose she has usually to 
accept in whatever shape it leaves the hands of her mother, 
who too seldom realizes of what plastic material this promi- 
nent feature is composed, and that it is in her power to be 
its Phidias and mould it to ideal perfection. 

But thought and emotion are the sculptors of the mouth, 
and these are under individual control. Circumstances have 
" nothing whatever to do with the case," for we make cir- 
cumstances. 

"The thing we long for, that we are 
For one transcendent rnoment, 

And longing moulds in clay what life 
Carves in the marble Real." 

Emerson says : " Of all the organs of sense, the mouth 
admits, I believe, of the greatest beauty and the greatest 
defoimity." As the lips are a nucleus of nerves and sur- 
rounded by very many muscles, their contour is changed 

342 



WHAT THE LIPS SAY. 343 

with every passing thought; and, of all the features, they are 
the most susceptible of action and the most direct indices 
of the feehngs. Being thus ductile, the expression of the 
lips is determined by the muscles which are most frequently 
brought into play; and students of character in facial ex- 
pression find the most unerring lines about the mouth and 
in the shape of the lips. " Not only the lips themselves and 
their surrounding lines of expression, but the chin and the 
cheeks assume beautiful forms and retain their smooth and 
youthful contour in proportion as the mouth bespeaks con- 
tent." 

A writer in Blackwood's says that, generally speaking, 
it is a contest with minor difficulties that produces a thin and 
rigid set of lips. He has observed this most invariably in 
housewives of the Martha type, who are careful and troubled 
about many things, " and whose souls are shaken to the 
centre by petty worries within doors and strife a routrance 
with the shortcomings of the scullery-maid or the cook." 
He draws the conclusion, therefore, that it is persons of 
weak will who have habitually compressed lips, for the 
strong will is conscious of its strength, and not agitated by 
the trifling annoyances of the hour. The same writer be- 
lieves that many faults of expression are due to unconscious 
imitation which impels one to return smile for smile, frown 
for frown, and yawn for yawn. On this subject, he says: 
" I know a tutor whose peculiarities of speech and carriage 
have been adopted more or less by every one of his pupils 
within the last six years, and several of them have come to 
resemble him in features. . . . Has it occurred to many 
careful parents that the good looks of their daughters de- 
pend in no slight degree on their choice of nurse-girl or 
governess ? " 

A woman can spoil a beautiful face by an unlovely ex- 
pression of the mouth, and she can make a comely one 
ridiculous by grotesque contortions of which we must pre- 
sume she is unconscious. If you doubt this, just go out on 



344 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

a crowded thoroughfare in a shopping district some morn- 
ing with the dehberate purpose to study facial expression. 
Ahnost every other woman you meet will be an object les- 
son to you of what not to do. 

It really is of vast importance that you give serious atten- 
tion to the fact that the mouth is in such intimate sympathy 
with your every thought and feeHng. That a very large 
majority of women are unconscious or heedless of this fact 
is evidenced every hour in the day ; not merely by the fleet- 
ing distortions in which they indulge, that are like a pass- 
ing cloud, but by the positively weird grimaces which are 
sometimes stamped upon the face for many minutes, and 
which reveal, if we follow Lavater's method in studying 
character by imitating the expression, a curious mixture of 
wayward, half-formed impulses and indefinite thoughts. 

Among these controlling nerve-fibres of the face there is 
all the time a sort of war of conquest going on between 
those of the great sympathetic system, which register every 
physical sensation and supply nutrition to the skin, and 
those higher servants of the brain which convey, and there- 
fore, if we are not on our guard, betray, our thoughts. Not 
only acts but impulses and feelings which are resisted leave 
their marks; but the exercise of will, controlling by thought 
our emotions, can efiface the work of the latter. There is 
an intuitive association between the muscles of expression 
and the nerve-centres of thought and feeling, and it is only 
by being on our guard that we can control this photograph, 
as it were, of our most fleeting thoughts. With utmost care, 
at times it is impossible. 

Whenever the thoughts turn in their habitual direction, 
a stream of nervous fluid is conveyed to the corresponding 
muscles of expression, and even when the face is held in 
unusual control, they leave their impression, strengthening 
and deepening lines, however imperceptibly at the moment, 
that grave upon the face its character. Even in dreams 
every faintest emotion chases its fellow over the counte- 



CULTIVATED DEFORMITIES. 345 

nance of the unconscious sleeper, betraying joy or sorrow. 

The thin face, usually an accompaniment of the extreme 
nervous temperament, exposes a very legible story of the 
prevalent emotions and thoughts. Strong people v^ho are 
v^ont to exercise supreme authority carry it in the eye, and 
the calm, self-controlled mouth simply expresses confidence. 
Always it is to be observed that success gives confidence; 
and confidence, ease and freedom from tension. 

The old aphorism concerning a guard upon the lips 
should have a double interpretation ; for lax and flabby ones 
tell a silent tale that he who runs may read of yielding to 
physical impulses and temptations. It is not alone the 
spoken word but the visible thought over whose control we 
must learn discretion. 

When you have cultivated a critical faculty by observing 
the curious and absurd tricks and mannerisms by which 
women make attractive faces ugly and mediocre ones re- 
pulsive, study the methods by which plain ones are illumi- 
nated. Habitual pouting enlarges and coarsens the under 
lip, as does also the thrusting it forward with the chin when 
nourishing a sense of fancied injury. Twisting the mouth is 
one of the most common tricks ; sometimes it is a scornful 
upward curl of one corner involving the nose ; again it is a 
pursing of the lips as if to whistle; and sometimes it is a 
grinding of the jaws that screws all one side of the face out 
of shape. Thrusting the tongue about in unnatural pos- 
tures is another common habit. It is quite bad enough 
when rolled around in the cheek, but when stuck out be- 
tween the lips it will make an intelligent face appear idiotic. 

If you have never noticed these tricks of facial contor- 
tion, you will be amazed by their variety and the frequency 
of the deplorable habit; and they are actually contagious, 
both from conscious and unconscious imitation. What- 
ever is before us all the time inevitably leaves its impress 
upon our minds, and, according to the intensity of this, is 
reflected in our faces. Recognizing this law we must guard 



346 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

against dwelling upon any such blemish which may con- 
front us daily. 

The influence of every bad habit is inevitably to chisel 
deep lines in conformity to the expression, howsoever de- 
forming it may be. And, moreover, there is no period in 
life when these subtle and silent agents, the muscles and 
their controlling nerves, are not at work making or mar- 
ring the beauty of the face; their model always being that 
which is held before the mind's eye. Thus, the standards 
of comparison in models of Greek art and other master- 
pieces, ever present to the mind of the artist, leave their 
ennobling impress upon the lines of his features; and we 
have come to recognize in recent years what is known as 
" the actor's face." 

From the constant activity of all nerve influences which 
maintains a perfect balance of power between the two sets, 
all the muscles of the actor's face are developed without 
lining it. This is the secret of that Fountain of Youth at 
which actors and actresses alone have seemed privileged to 
drink, and whose source has been considered so mysterious. 
It has the effect of giving to ordinary features great dignity 
of character; and, according to the natural advantages at 
the beginning of the career, develops a very high type of 
physical beauty. 

Often the source of the unlovely tricks of expression to 
which woman falls an unconscious victim is that other arch- 
enemy of her good looks, petty w^orry, which has for boon 
companion that nerve-destroyer, hurry. Beauty and these 
are at war always, and we will have none of them. *' Love 
and hope exercise the muscles which celestialize the 
mouth." It is easier to be brave and courageous if you 
look so; to be amiable and sympathetic if you assume the 
expression. 

The highest beauty is found in that communion with 
self which encourages the growth of the soul. Spiritual 
activity alone can overcome the deadening influence of un- 



THE REMEDY FOR SERIOUS FACIAL IRREGULARITIES. 347 

congenial surroundings. 'Tis an unvarying law that 
** Esoteric growth makes exoteric beauty." 

A beautiful mouth is one that is neither large nor small, 
and has a graceful, firm outline; and beautiful lips are 
neither thick nor thin, nor compressed nor weak. But if 
ideally perfect in shape they would not achieve beauty with- 
out an expression of frankness and amiability. 

When there is a positive congenital malformation of the 
mouth or other prominent feature, it is best to seek the re- 
lief of plastic surgery; for, in many cases, a slight operation 
will correct a defect that makes a sensitive girl morbidly 
self-conscious and may thus spoil her life. This branch of 
surgery has been brought to such a point of perfection that 
it undertakes to remedy almost any deformity; but the 
average of operations required are of a slight and almost 
painless nature, healing quickly and leaving no scar. I 
would by no means advise resort to the knife for any less 
serious defects. It is arrant folly to rush to it for the cure 
of self-inflicted blemishes like wrinkles and double chins. 
Their only legitimate remedy lies in the reform of the habits 
which caused them. 

The nose is so plastic that it can be moulded out of many 
deformities by the application of pressure; and simple 
home devices to subdue a thick, spreading nose are the 
use of a spring clothespin or a piece of watch-spring hold- 
ing stifif pads by the sides of the nose, a lotion of camphor 
and tannin being applied at the same time. There is also 
a patented device for the same purpose. 

If the infant's nose received proper attention from, nurse 
and mother, ugly noses would be relegated to barbarous 
races; for this conspicuous feature can in youth be shaped, 
by gentle strokes and pressure, into the same perfection 
that the sculptor moulds his plaster model. Even in early 
adult life much can be accomplished to improve the shape 
of the nose by always exercising care, when bathing or 
using the handkerchief, to wipe it downward with o-entle 



348 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

pressure. All manipulation of the nose should be with a 
delicate touch. Thin nostrils must be expanded with sym- 
pathetic emotions; and thick, broad ones brought under 
control by persistent pinching. (For cosmetic treatment of 
nose see Complexion chapter.) 

Heredity is chiefly to blame for defects of the mouth and 
nose, and of the lower jaw, the perfection of the bony 
structure depending upon the mother's proper nourishment 
and dressing before her child is born. 

So much, however, depends upon expression, that, when 
a woman resolves to overcome natural defects or unlovely 
tricks of distortion, she will find within herself the means 
to irradiate and entirely transform her countenance. Don't 
be afraid of the vanity engendered by frequently consulting 
your mirror, but let it be your stern critic and helpful aid 
in the culture of beauty. Try on your expressions with the 
same critical eye which you turn upon the adjustment of a 
feather or a flower on your hat. There are infinite possi- 
bilities in a smile. It must not be a purely superficial mus- 
cular thing, but a flashing of the soul and heart smiling in- 
wardly, and so a reflection of an actual state. This is very 
different from the tmmeaning, habitual smile which some 
women cultii^ate under the mistaken idea of appearmg 
affable, and which wears deep lines at the corners of the 
mouth, and " parentheses " down from the corners of the 
nose. 

The fresh color of the lips and the purity of the breath 
are witnesses of an interior state of excellence and purity; 
another proof that beauty must rest upon a foundation of 
health. Be very careful as to what you put on the lips in 
the hope of heightening their color or beauty. Many of the 
nostrums advertised are extremely injurious, rendering the 
skin sensitive to atmospheric changes and ruining its tex- 
ture. The Eastern habit of brightening the hue of the lips 
is generally recognized as confined to the stage and to a 
certain class of wholly artificial creatures, with whom no 



BREATH AND LIP COSMETICS. 349 

good woman or pure young girl wishes to be confounded. 

The natural freshness of even pale lips is more agreeable 
than the hardened, unnatural brilliancy which alcoholic lo- 
tions and paints impart. The trick of biting the lips, some- 
times resorted to in order to deepen their color, coarsens 
them and encourages their roughness and liability to chap. 
Constantly wetting them with the tongue is another bad 
habit, which is tabooed by unwritten law, and is apt to be- 
come a facial trick; moreover, the excessive moisture is 
injurious. Pale, anaemic women, of languid circulation, are 
most afiflicted with roughened, broken, and chapped lips. 
Usually, for this condition, a simple lotion of glycerine and 
rose-water in equal parts — or one ounce of the former to 
two of the latter — is all that is needed. If something more 
emollient is required, use either Kentucky, Cucumber, or 
Glycerine Cold-Cream. 

A healing pomade specially compounded for chapped lips 
is this : 

HEALING POMADE. 

Cocoa-butter 24 grammes 

White wax 4 grammes 

Essence of bergamot i gramme 

Essence of white geranium i gramme 

Melt in a bain-marie, and beat smooth like any cold- 
cream. 

For extremely obstinate cases of chapping Dr. Vaucaire 
commends the following: 

POMADE FOR CHAPPED LIPS. 

Cocoa-butter id grammes 

Castor-oil 3 grammes 

Oil of birch 2 drops 

Extract of cachou i gramme 

Essence of star-anise 5 drops 

Apply three times daily till a cure Is efifected. 



350 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



Thick lips are sometimes reduced in size by rubbing them 
with tannin or some other astringent lotion. The lips are 
so delicate in structure, however, that the astringent sub- 
stance is best applied in the form of a cream. For the pur- 
pose melt an ounce of any of the cold-creams already men- 
tioned; add one gramme each of pulverized tannin and 
alkanet chips; let macerate for five hours, then strain 
through cheese-cloth. 

A similar formula given for the same purpose, pro- 
nounced excellent, calls for one gramme of balsam of 
IMecca, which the writer was evidently ignorant could not 
be obtained anywhere outside of Turkey, and is not for sale 
there. A quart of otto of roses could be easier gotten than 
a single drop of genuine balsam of Alecca. Not more than 
ten to fifteen drachms of this highly prizejd resin is yielded 
per annum by one tree, hence it is so rare that the entire 
product is reserved for use in the SeragHo, and to bestow 
as precious gifts upon high officers of State. 

It is also known as balsam, or balm, of Gilead, being 
obtained from hahamodendron Gilcadensc, a tree growing in 
Arabia Felix, Asia Minor, and Egypt. It is the " balm " 
of the Old Testament. An inferior quality of the oily gum 
is obtained from the twigs of the tree, which are boiled in 
vats. This is sold as balsam of Judea, and only the poorest 
of this, which is rejected by the Orientals, ever reaches 
England or this country. The pure balsam is put up in 
square leaden bottles containing two hundred and fifty 
grammes. It was formerly credited with marvelous powers 
in promoting health and beauty, and has for centuries been 
held in high esteem for its medicinal as well as cosmetic 
virtues and as a fragrant unguent. None of the cosmetics 
advertised as containing ^' Balm of Mecca " contains a sin- 
gle grain of the genuine balsam. 

The freshness of all lip salves or pomades is of great im- 
portance. It is therefore prudent to make or to purchase 
them in small quantities, and glycerine is an important ad- 



BREATH AND LIP COSMETICS. 35 1 

dition to them because of its valuable antiseptic properties 
which prevent decomposition of the fats with which it is 
incorporated. Using spermaceti ointment or Kentucky 
cold-cream as a base, a variety of lip-salves can be prepared, 
stimulating, healing, emollient, or astringent, according to 
need. Alum, in very fine powder, or tannin are the astrin- 
gents; camphor, benzoin, and glycerine are healing and 
stimulating. One of the finest and most highly esteemed 
of the '' lip-salves of the shops " is the following: 

PERUVIAN LIP SALVE. 

spermaceti ointment i ounce 

Balsam of Peru ' 15 grains 

Alkanet-root 15 grains 

Oil of cloves 5 drops 

Digest the alkanet in the ointment, at gentle heat, till the 
latter is a deep rose color, then p^ss through a coarse 
strainer. When slightly cooled, stir in the balsam; give a 
few moments to settle, then pour oiT the clear portion and 
add the oil of cloves. You can make this or any other mix- 
ture a glycerinated pomade by adding one sixth or one 
eighth part glycerine; and a drop or two of any other 
essential oil can be added. 

CAMPPIOR COLD-CREAM. 

Expressed oil of almonds 4 ounces 

White wax i drachm 

Spermaceti I drachm 

Camphor 3^ drachms 

Oil of rosemary 9 grains 

Oil of peppermint 5 grains 

Rose-water 4 ounces 

Mix in a bain-marie, according to previous directions 
given for cold-creams. It can be colored with alkanet as 
are the foregoing. 

An Oriental balm, prepared nightly In Turkish harems 
and much esteemed for its stimulating and emollient prop- 



352 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

erties, is made by crushing a pound of fresh damask rose- 
petals in a cup of sweet cream. It is strained through a 
piece of gauze, and then a pinch of powdered vanilla is 
stirred into the cream. It sounds ciuite delicious enough to 
eat, and is certainly the most delectable of all compounds 
that could be rubbed upon the lips. 

That petty, unfeminine vice of cigarette-smoking, usually 
indulged in as an absurd ettectation of smartness, is 
an unpardonable practice, however it may originate; and 
the woman indulging in it is, for the time, out of focus and 
sympathy with aU the best, noblest, and most truly refined 
qualities which are the rightful heritage of her sex. She 
has lost the point of view to which she was' born. Saying 
nothing aboiu the coarseness and essential vulgarity of the 
practice, or even considering its deleterious effect upon the 
nerv'es. 'tis suflicient for our purpose here to consider its 
disastrous eltect upon woman's beauty and her charm. 

Women there are who are drawn into the habit from a 
spirit of hoii camaraderie with their husbands, who encour- 
age the practice, but even then it is a grave mistake. These 
, women lose sight of an important law lying at the very root 
of their beings. That sort of familiarity between men and 
women is productive of no good. She steps down from her 
throne, and he loses an influence which good-fellowship in 
no smallest measure supplies. 

The more womanly a woman is the more ennobling her 
influence upon man. We cannot aftord to lower in the 
slightest respect, to jeopardize by a hair's breadth, that in- 
definable influence which is the prerogative of pure woman- 
hood. There are too few uplifting influences in the world. 
You lower man and all humanity when you lower yourself, 
or tamper and trifle by so much as the smallest degree wath 
the exalted idea of womanhood which it is man's greatest 
joy and highest hope in life to possess. 

The mere act -of smoking, the pressure of the lips about 
the cigarette, the drawing it, and exhaling the smoke, 



BEAUTY-DESTROYING CIGARETTE-SMOKING. 353 

when indulged habitually changes the form of the mouthj 
and gives rise to wrinkles around the lips. The tobacco 
yellows the teeth, stains the fingers, and leaves a disagree- 
able taint about the entire person and her belongings, which 
no use of breath-pastils and perfumes can eradicate or cover. 
The repulsiveness of the stale odor seems enough in itself 
to restrain a refined woman from indulging in the baleful 
practice. 

A fragrance of absolute purity should be exhaled from a 
woman's person, and no charm she may possess can atone 
for a tainted breath with its suggestion of neglect and phys- 
ical disorder. The purity of the breath is impaired by di- 
gestive fermentations from over-eating or from highly 
spiced foods, from drinking alcoholic stimulants, from con- 
stipation, and, of course, from decayed teeth or any disorder 
of the mouth or stomach. Accumulations of tartar also are 
waste matter which fouls the breath. 

A bad taste in the mouth is an unmistakable hint of dis- 
order and an impure breath; but, too often, the victim her- 
self is the last one to be made conscious of the offense, and, 
consequently, the most watchful care is necessary. It is 
said that it is possible to ascertain if there be a trace of im- 
purity by holding a hand-mirror closely before the open 
mouth and exhaling upon it. When there is the slightest 
doubt upon the subject the mouth should be frequently 
rinsed with aromatic and antiseptic lotions, and pastils can 
be used. 

The simplest remedy for disorder caused by acidity of the 
stomach and indiscretions of food or drink is a dose of 
ammonia; five to ten grains of the carbonate, or five to 
fifteen drops of ammonia-water in a glass of cold water. 
Chewing a leaf of parsley or drinking a glass of milk after 
eating onions will remove that odor from the breath. 

The Japanese perfume the breath by chewing the bark of 
the culilazvan cinnamon. This is perhaps the Chinese cin- 
namon, or cassia, having the general properties of true 



354 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

cinnamon — cinnamomiim zcylanicum — but not so fine. The 
antiseptic as well as aromatic properties of cinnamon are 
highly valued by the Oriental peoples, and it is incompre- 
hensible that we have been so slow to utilize it. It destroys 
all infectious microbes, even its odor being inimical to them; 
and if decoctions of it were freely drunk in malarial regions 
it would prevent infection. 

The resinous ''tears" of mastic — the '' lentisque seeds" 
of Oriental women — harden the gums and impart a de- 
licious odor to the breath. According to Martial, Roman 
women used tooth-picks of mastic-wood, — the Pistacia 
lentisciis, or lentisk, which grows on the shores of the Med- 
iterranean. When we add the lotion of incense (olibanum), 
camphor, and myrrh, with which Oriental women rinse the 
mouth, night and morning, we find them using such spe- 
cifics against the disorders which threaten the purity and 
integrity of mouth, teeth, and gums, as should insure their 
absolute sweetness and health. 

If you have a fancy to know what substances enter into 
the pastils you use, you can easily make them by either of 
the following formula, adding or changing spices and es- 
sential oils according to taste: 

• PASTILS FOR THE BREATH. 

Powdered sugar 2 ounces 

Chloride of sodium. 48 grains 

Gum tragacanth 40 grains 

Gum acacia 40 grains 

Oil of vetiver i grain 

Oil of cinnamon. '. 5 grains 

Reduce the chlorate to powder; put it in a cup, and pour 
over it a little water; let it settle and pour ofif; repeat the 
process three times with fresh water, filtering what is 
poured ofif through porous paper; then use this filtered 
water to mix the sugar and gums, adding the perfume last. 
When it is a smooth, thick paste, pour out on a marble slab 
to stiffen, and cut it into small lozenges. 



AROMATIC PASTILS. 355 

PASTILLES ORIENTALES. 

Pulverized charcoal 2 ounces 

Gum mastic ^ ounce 

Powdered sugar 2 ounces 

Powdered chocolate 6 ounces 

Powdered vanilla i drachm 

Powdered orris-root i drachm 

Oil of cloves 5 grains 

Oil of peppermint 5 grains 

Melt the powders and gum together by gentle heat, 
stirring till thoroughly mixed. As it cools beat in the oils, 
then turn out on a marble slab to stiffen. 

The aromatic pills, which must be covered with genuine 
silver foil, are more troublesome to manipulate, but this is 
Askinson's formula: 

CACHOUS AROMATISEES. 

Gum acacia „ . . , i^ ounces 

Catechu, powdered 2^ ounces 

Cascarilla, powdered ^ ounce 

Mastic, powdered % ounce 

Orris-root, powdered ^ ounce 

Liquorice juice ji^ pounds 

Oil of cloves 75 grains 

Oil of peppermint ]^ ounce 

Tincture of ambergris 75 grains 

Tincture of musk 75 grains 

" Boil the solids with water till a pasty mass results which 
becomes firm on cooling." Add the perfumes when par- 
tially cold. The mass is intended to be rolled into pills, 
one of which it is averred will remove almost any taint 
from the breath. It could, however, be made into tiny 
lozenges. 

Beautiful teeth, glisteningly white and even, are the 
jewels which complete the attractiveness of a pretty mouth, 
and the want of them is an irreparable misfortune, as greatly 
to be deplored as other seemingly more obvious deformi- 



356 THE WOMAX BEAUTIFUL. 

ties. Their regularity and the integrity of their bony 
structure are matters of prenatal influence and conditions. 
If at this time the expectant mother suffers from tooth- 
ache, it is an indication of malnutrition, insufhcient bone- 
making food, and her child's bones and nerves — first of all 
its teeth, the nuclei even of the permanent ones forming 
during this period — will suffer with hers. She needs 
glutens, the albuminoids, and phosphate and carbonate of 
lime; and a proper diet will spare the mother much suf- 
fering, the dangerous depletion of her own system ("' Even 
the brain will become enfeebled from lack of phosphoric 
acid "), and prevent much future pain for her child. 

Our national failing, the prevalent use of fine white flour, 
throws an enormous practice upon the dentists, and entails 
upon our people those horrors which sufferers from facial 
neuralgia will tell you make life not worth living. The peo- 
ple of the north of Europe live mainly on coarse black 
bread; have strong, fine teeth; and dentists and dentistry 
are almost unknown among them. 

In the blue-grass region of Kentucky and in West A'ir- 
ginia and middle Tennessee the soil is so strongly impreg- 
nated with lime that the water and the vegetation supply 
this element to both people and live-stock, to the corre- 
sponding advantage of their bony structures. The finest 
horses and cattle in the world graze on the rich pastures 
of Kentucky's limestone region; and her tall, strong men 
and beautiful women with their fine teeth are equally fa- 
m.ous. 

Beautiful teeth must be regular and fine in form and 
color; they should be neither pearly in hue nor ivory. 
Beauty and the color which implies strength and durability 
lie between these extremes. Their perfect form, too, lies 
between the extremes of short and elongated; narrow, long 
teeth indicate a delicate constitution. 

Divine intelligence planned the teeth to be the hardest 
and most durable substance entering into the human econ- 



THE BEGINNING OF FINE TEETH. 357 

omy; and it is deficiency in the proper bone-making foods 
— the Ume-salts — whicli causes poor, frail teeth; just as 
want of proper food, together with foul air and other un- 
hygienic conditions, causes the cartilaginous limbs of 
rickets. 

Few mothers realize that the first, or teniporary, teeth, 
twenty in number, should be given just as good care as the 
permanent ones, whose health is greatly impaired by the 
early decay and loss of the first. The ignorant neglect 
these formerly received is one source of present weakness, 
as everything of the sort is hereditary. 

The teeth are composed of enamel and dentine. The pro- 
tecting enamel lies on the crown in nodules, thinning to a 
layer which at the neck of the tooth where it enters the gum 
becomes a mere film. Nerve-filaments and blood-vessels 
pass through the root connecting the pulp of the tooth with 
the general nervous system and the circulation of the body; 
and through these, by means of the pulp, the necessary nu- 
triment is conveyed to the dentine. Even the dentine is 
harder than any other bones in the body, containing a 
greater percentage of bone earth and less cartilage than the 
other bones. 

In the formative years of childhood bone-making foods 
are needed. Where a lack of it is recognized by the frail 
nature of the teeth, in addition to a reform in diet and the 
substitution of gluten and whole-wheat breads and the 
cereal foods, for cakes, white bread, and sweets, syrup of 
lacto-phosphate of lime can be given with advantage. There 
are many medicinal preparations of phosphates which are 
more or less beneficial in this condition; but some physi- 
cians who have experimented with all of them think they 
obtain equally as good results by the use of simple lime- 
water, which is easily prepared at home. 

Put a teacupful of clean, unslacked lime in a pitcher and 
pour over it two quarts of water, stirring thoroughly till it 
looks like milk; let it stand till the water seems quite clear, 



35^ THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

then pour it off and fill the pitcher again with pure water; 
if possible, filtered. Stir thoroughly, tie a piece of muslin" 
over the pitcher to prevent dust from falling into it, and let 
it stand till the water is clear; then carefully decant the clear 
portion into glass-stoppered bottles. The first water can be 
used in the kitchen for many cleansing purposes. 

To sweeten the breath and strengthen the teeth a table- 
spoonful of the lime-water is taken in a glass of milk, or 
water. When the teeth are soft and sensitive from de- 
ficiency of mineral salts or from the action of acids a larger 
dose can be taken with admirable results. Two or three 
tablespoonfuls are not unpleasant, and its addition to milk 
will make that healthful beverage digestible for many who 
cannot drink it in its natural state. If not taken too strong, 
when it is rather harsh, the lime-water leaves a sweet and 
pleasant, smooth taste in the mouth. 

After eating acid fruits, which attack the enamel and ren- 
der the teeth sensitive, the mouth should be rinsed with 
lime-water; and at any time when the teeth are affected by 
acids, either from the food, medicines, or disordered se- 
cretions, this can be counteracted by rubbing precipitated 
chalk round the necks of the teeth and between them. Ap- 
ply it freely the last thing before going to bed. 

To give emphasis to the importance of diet, I will add 
that a well-known New York dentist says this : " If Gluten 
flour was generally used in place of fine flours in the rearing 
of children, or for the food of the adult, I think many of 
the doctors and dentists would be obliged to seek other 
fields of labor. I speak from knowledge, my own vitality 
and endurance having been doubled while using it." 

If the first teeth are irregular, the permanent ones are al- 
most certain to be so, and the habit of sucking the thumb or 
fingers which mothers often encourage, because " it keeps 
baby quiet," is very liable to cause this. The first teeth have 
very slight roots -when they come through and they are 
easily pushed out of position, but they should be gently 



THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CARE. 359 

Straightened, and by watchfulness kept so till Nature has 
secured them in their sockets. 

Vigilant care for the scrupulous cleanliness of the teeth 
should begin as soon as the first tiny pearls cut through the 
tender gums, and be continued by mother or nurse till the 
child is old enough to feel a pride in caring for them her- 
self. The pain attending the cutting of the first teeth may 
be relieved by rubbing the gums with honey; and dentition 
is assisted if the babe is given a piece of marsh-mellow root 
or a rubber ring to bite. 

No pain or inconvenience attends the natural progression 
from the deciduous teeth to the putting forth of the per- 
m.anent ones. When these are ready to come through, Na- 
ture absorbs the roots of the former, and the unattached 
crown, now in the way, drops out of the gum. Now, the 
importance of preserving these is, that if allowed to decay 
Nature's process is interfered with. She has no use for im- 
pure material and does not absorb the root; so it stays in 
the jaw, crowds the permanent tooth out of its place, sets up 
any amount of disorder and disease in the surrounding 
parts, and usually has to be extracted with instruments, to 
the peril of the delicate jaw, and, of course, attended by 
much suffering. 

If the permanent teeth come through irregularly, over- 
lapping or twisted, they should be straightened without de- 
lay; and if overcrowded it is better to remove a tooth, for 
this condition favors decay. Students of heredity say, that 
the most frequent cause of this latter trouble is the in- 
heritance of incongruous teeth and jaws from the parents. 
It is said that eight times out of ten the teeth are inherited 
from the father and the jaws from the mother. If it chance 
that the father has large teeth and the mother's jaw is small, 
their children are apt to sufifer from misfit teeth. If imme- 
diate attention is given to the trouble, the skill of the dentist 
can remedy it. It is even possible to re-set every tooth in 



360 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the jaw, and teeth knocked out by accident have been re- 
placed with perfect success. 

All diseases of childhood, and especially eruptive fevers 
which affect the skin, are a menace to the regularity of the 
permanent teeth, whose arrested nutrition will mark the 
enamel in grooves, furrovv^s, or spots, as will be seen when 
they come in sight. If when they are being erupted there 
is a delay in the process, caused by disease, malnutrition, 
or any apparently trifling disorder of the stomach, a ridge 
is certain to mark the arrested growth. 

The teeth should be recognized for what they are: in- 
valuable adjuncts to both beauty and health; consequently 
no pains are too great to secure this advantage; and I have 
dwelt thus at length on their formative period because adult 
care cannot atone for early neglect. Granted only an aver- 
age strength of original structure, if the teeth were kept 
absolutely clean, they would never decay, and the only 
other menace to their integrity comes from diseases of the 
gum which attack the periosteum, the lining membrane of 
the socket. This is the most insidious trouble of all, and is 
caused by ulcers, abscesses, and the encroachments of tar- 
tar. 

Perfect cleanliness of the teeth can be secured only by 
thorough cleansing with the brush night and morning; by 
rinsing the mouth after every meal with an antiseptic lo- 
tion; and by using, with very gentle care, an orange-wood 
or quill tooth-pick and a bit of dental floss always after eat- 
ing, so as to remove every particle of food which may lodge 
between the teeth. This care should, of course, be given 
in the privacy of one's room, or in the toilet-room. The 
dining-room is not the place for it. If left, this immediately 
sets up fermentation, encouraged by the heat of the mouth; 
and the acid thus created attacks the enamel and quickly 
disintegrates the dentine. This is always the beginning of 
caries; and, if not attended to immediately, the forerunner 
of toothache and a-long train of sufifering. 




MME. r:^camier. 



HYGIENIC TREATMENT OF THE TEETH. 361 

Poor teeth are not only the cause of intense suffering, 
but also the obscure source of a great many ills. Sound 
and healthy teeth are needed to masticate the food properly. 
The Arabs, who possess fine teeth, have a proverb that " He 
who does not masticate well is an enemy to his own life." 
When the teeth are sensitive, either from actual caries, or 
from the softening of the enamel under the action of acids, 
there is a natural inclination to spare the tooth, so the first 
part of digestion is shirked and trouble is sure to follow in 
the stomach. When decay has actually started there is an 
additional menace to the health, for the poison from decay- 
ing bone is extremely noxious, and contaminates the se- 
cretions and blood. It may cause blood poisoning, always 
does impair the general health through disturbed digestion, 
and is often the originating cause of very grave troubles. 

Therefore, the tiniest spot of decay demands the imme- 
diate care of the skilled dentist. If there is no delay, and 
the work is well done, the tooth is perhaps safe for a life- 
time. Don't forget that though you cannot change the ex- 
ternal structure of the teeth, as long as the health of their 
nerves is maintained you can supply them with the lime- 
salts which strengthen them, and these should not only be 
provided in the food, but brought in immediate contact wit-h 
the teeth by means of lotions and the chalk treatment. 
When the teeth are so sensitive from eating acid fruits that 
the lightest touch of a finger-nail to one, at the neck, causes 
exquisite pain, the chalk treatment will correct the trouble 
and harden the enamel in twenty-four hours. 

Much harm is done the teeth by the use of highly ex- 
tolled lotions and powders which, too often, contain in- 
jurious acids and gritty substances that ruin the enamel. 
It is unsafe to use any compound whose constituent ele- 
ments are unknown to you. The teeth can be kept per- 
fectly clean by the use of white Castile soap and pre- 
cipitated chalk once daily, using an antiseptic lotion or 
warm lime-water for the night-toilet. 



362 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

These two substances act harmoniously together, coun- 
teract acid, and if used with a fine tooth-brush of medium 
stiffness can do no harm. They can, of course, be wisely 
supplemented by tonic, aromatic, and antiseptic lotions to 
strengthen the gums and sweeten the breath. 

The brush should be used up and down on the teeth, not 
around them. The motion should be from the gums towards 
the crown, so the bristles of the brush will pass between the 
teeth as much as possible. The insides should be cleaned 
with the same care as the outsides, and the brush should 
be rotated on the contact surfaces of the molar teeth, in 
whose minute crevices decay is apt to start, from the per- 
sistency with which food is inclined to lodge in them. 

Never pick at the teeth with any metal implement, as 
there is danger of injuring the enamel. 

Cracking nuts with the teeth and biting threads are also 
practices which should be shunned for the same reason. 
Extremes of temperature in food or drink are a menace to 
the enamel, just as boiling-hot water would be to a delicate 
Baccarat glass. Ice-cream should not be followed by hot 
cofiFee, nor hot soup by iced water. Although so hard a 
substance, if once the slightest crack or orifice is made be- 
tween the prisms of its structure, decay of the dentine is 
rapid. 

Every slightest disorder of the teeth or mouth has its in- 
ception in the micro-organisms carried to the mouth by 
the air w^e breathe or in our food and drink. Open-mouthed 
breathing is a source of great danger, and especially during 
sleep. The oxygen of the air decomposes the ptyaline of 
the saliva, which losing its natural alkalinity becomes 
slightly acid and corrosive. When there is an odor of am- 
monia in the breath, it indicates a physical condition 
which causes white decay in the teeth, and encourages the 
deposit of tartar; and should be counteracted by lotions 
of dilute acids. Lemons should be eaten freely and other 
acid fruits. The odor of sulphuretted hydrogen in the 



HYGIENIC TREATMENT OF THE TEETH. ^6^ 

breath is believed to accompany the conditions which has- 
ten black decay, and demands mouth-washes containing 
chlorate of potash or salicylic acid. 

An alkaline dentifrice to counteract acidity is this: 

VIGIER'S EAU DENTIFRICE. 

Distilled water 980 grammes 

Bicarbonate of soda 20 grammes 

Alcoholate of peppermint 20 grammes 

Carbonate of magnesia 2 grammes 

Essence of mint, superfine 20 drops 

Dissolve the salt in the water and alcoholate; beat the 
magnesia and the essence together; pour the liquid upon it, 
little by little, and filter. 

DENTIFRICE ASTRINGENT. 

Fennel-water 100 grammes 

Tincture of lignum-vitse 13 grammes 

Tincture of myrrh 5 grammes 

Chlorate of potash 2 grammes 

Dissolve the chlorate in the water and add the tinctures 
little by little. 

DENTIFRICE ANTISEPTIQUE. 

Salol 3 grammes 

Alcohol 150 grammes 

Essence of star-anise yi gramme 

Essence of geranium ^2 gramme 

Essence of mint i gramme 

A few drops of this in a half-glass of water can be used 
to rinse the mouth after meals and at night. 

An aromatic elixir which if used regularly will promote 
the health of teeth and gums is the following: 

AROMATIC ELIXIR. 

Cloves 150 grammes 

Anise-seed 150 grammes 



364 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Gum mastic 100 grammes ~ 

Cinnamon .,...., ... 100 grammes . 

Catechu .. 90 grammes 

Peruvian bark 90 grammes 

Pellitory of Spain 100 grammes . 

Essence of peppermint 10 grammes 

Essence of cinnamon 5 grammes 

Spirits of horseradish 300 grammes 

Alcohol . . . , 2^ quarts 

Crush the solids and macerate them in the alcohol for 
two weeks; then filter, and add the essences; mix thor- 
oughly, then add the spirits. All of these lotions for the 
breath and teeth are used in the same way by putting a few 
drops — eight to ten, or stronger when desired — in a half- 
glass of water. The pellitory of Spain, which Arnold 
Cooley says is the root of Spanish chamomile, will if 
chewed relieve toothache in most cases very quickly. It 
is an important ingredient in many English odontalgic 
remedies, but American chemists are not very familiar with 
it. The United States Dispensatory says it is anthemis 
pyrethrum and also anacyclus pyrethrum, and further states 
that Spanish chamomile is called manzanilla Romana, but 
does not connect it with the pellitory. 

Salicylic acid possesses so strong antiseptic properties 
that it is one of the most valuable substances in hygienic 
cosmetics. Used in a mouth lotion after meals it will purify 
the breath of all unpleasant odors, even removing that from 
decaying teeth, and arresting the progress of caries. 

SALICYLATED MOUTH TINCTURE. 

Salicylic acid 7^ drachms 

Orange-flower water 15 grains 

Oil of peppermint 15 grains 

Filtered water i quart 

Alcohol I pint 

Mix the oil of peppermint with about two ounces of the 
alcohol; add the remainder to the water and warm it; then 



ANTISEPTIC AND ASTRINGENT LOTIONS. '365 

dissolve the acid in it; while still warm add the perfumed 
water and tincture of peppermint. 

When the gums are spongy and diseased and the teeth 
loose the following lotion will usually afford reHef : 

MYRRH LOTION. 

Gum mastic, powdered , 2 drachms 

Gum arabic, powdered 2^ drachms 

Balsam of Peru 3/4 drachm 

Orange-flower water 5 ounces 

Make into an emulsion, and then very gradually, under 
continual agitation, add 

Tincture of myrrh 3 drachms 

Still another, for similar conditions, and especially when 
there are scorbutic symptoms, is this: 

^ RONDELETIA LOTION. 

Balsam of Peru 4 drachms 

Camphor, crushed fine 1 drachm 

Tincture of myrrh i ounce 

Ammonia-water i drachm 

Rectified spirits i ounce 

Spirits of horseradish 3 ounces 

Essence of lavender 2 drachms 

Essence of cloves 2 drachms 

Mix all together; agitate occasionally for ten days; and, 
after repose, decant the clear portion. 

For a famous and favorite tooth tincture which has been 
credited with many virtues, Dr. Vaucaire gives this for- 
mula: 

EAU DE BOTOT. 

Alcohol 95% i3yi quarts 

Anise perle (seed) 100 grammes 

Cinnamon 35 grammes 

Cloves 32 grammes 

Quinquina 10 grammes 



366 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Macerate for a fortnight or longer, then filter and add: 

Essence of mint 20 grammes 

Cochineal 10 grammes 

When the teeth are in good condition and do not require 
the detersive action of grittier substances than precipitated 
chalk the following is an excellent tooth powder for daily 
use: 

CAMPHORATED CHALK. 

Camphor gum i ounce 

Precipitated chalk 5 ounces 

Pulverized orris-root 3 ounces 

Triturate the camphor in a mortar with a few drops of 
alcohol; then add the other powders; mix thoroughly, and 
sift two or three times through silk bolting-cloth or a very 
fine sieve. The frequent use of camphor is very beneficial 
to both teeth and gums. It tends to destroy the animal- 
cula in the secretions of the mouth whose skeletons^"go to 
form tartar; and, consequently, is an active agent in pre- 
venting the formation of this menace to the purity of the 
breath and integrity of the teeth. Camphor-julep may be 
used with good efifect as a mouth-lotion. Mastic, myrrh, 
and camphor in combination form an almost invincible 
remedy against even the most abnormal disposition towards 
the formation of this unpleasant deposit. 

Of all the preservative substances known to dental 
science, nothing equals areca-nut charcoal, but it is very 
difficult to obtain the genuine article. It is prepared and 
kept by only a few chemists, and four fifths of that sold un- 
der the name is spurious. It not only whitens and pre- 
serves the teeth, but corrects all abnormal and unhealthy 
tendencies of the mouth, teeth, and gums, curing scurvy 
and ulcerations and fixing loosened teeth. Eminent sur- 
geons and dentists who have resided in the Orient, where it 
is highly esteemed and constantly used by the natives, say 
that where this charcoal is regularly used as a dentifrice. 



ARECA-NUT CHARCOAL. 367 

the teeth will be preserved in perfect health to an advanced 
age. 

Areca-nuts are the fruit of the areca palm, and they are 
also called betel-nuts, from the practice of the Eastern peo- 
ples of wrapping them in betel-leaves to chew. The betel 
is an evergreen shrub, growing in the East Indies and the 
Philippine Islands, whose leaf is aromatic. The natives 
smear a betel-leaf (called also buyo) with lime — made from 
oyster shells- -and wrap it around a slice or two of areca-nut. 
They are thus prepared and sold, fresh every day, by street 
vendors, in the Philippines and throughout the East. The 
betel-leaf contains strong coloring matter, and the constant 
chewing of the prepared nuts stains the teeth. This in 
China and some other parts of the East is esteemed an at- 
traction, and distinguishes the married woman from the 
maiden. 

The nut is small, resembling the nutmeg in shape and 
structure, though harder and larger. *' It is astringent, 
sialogogue, stomachic, and narcotic. The nut and its husk 
are employed, in some form or other, by all classes of the 
natives as a masticatory." It carries its valuable qualities to 
a great degree into its charcoal, which in addition possesses 
higher detersive and antiseptic properties than other vege- 
table charcoals, without their grittiness. It is to be hoped 
that some enterprising chemist will import these nuts in 
quantities from the Philippines, and prepare the charcoal 
here, as all charcoal deteriorates with age and exposure to 
the air. A simple tooth-paste is made of areca-nut charcoal 
by beating it up with pure honey or orange-flower syrup. 
Sometimes aromatics are added, but they do not increase 
its efficiency. Other formulas for its preparation are the 
following: 

ARECA-NUT TOOTH-POWDER. 

Areca-nut charcoal 5 ounces 

Cuttle-fish bone 2 ounces 

Areca-nuts, raw and powdered i ounce 



^68 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Mix, and strain through a fine sieve. A half-drachm each 
of cloves and cassia are usually added, but are no advan- 
tage. If there are scorbutic symptoms or ulcerations, a 
half-drachm of oil of cinnamon would increase its efficacy. 

ARECA-NUT TOOTH-PASTE. 

Areca-nut charcoal (recent; fine powder) ... . 5 ounces 
Areca-nut charcoal (raw; fine powder) i ounce 

; Narbonne honey (rose honey) sufficient when liquefied by 
gentle heat and cooled to make a stiff paste. Then add 
gradually: 

Rectified spirits 6 drachms 

Oil of cinnamon i drachm 

Oil of cloves I drachm 

Mix the oils with the alcohol before adding it to the paste. 
The next day give the mixture another beating, and if nec- 
essary to give the proper consistence, add a few drops of 
alcohol or orange-flower water. 

If we could always obtain areca-nut charcoal we should 
have no difficulty in preventing the deposit of tartar about 
the teeth, or in removing it when from neglect or the want 
of corrective agents it has accumulated. It is unsafe to use 
habitually any grittier substance than Prepared chalk, which 
is not so white nor quite so fine and soft as the Precipitated, 
and consequently is more detersive. Neglected teeth will 
need a more active powder to bring them into good condi- 
tion, and, when there is a constitutional tendency to the 
deposit of tartar, its occasional use is necessary. Pumice- 
stone, Bath-brick, cuttle-fish bone, burnt hartshorn, red 
coral, and shell-lac, all reduced to finest powder, are the 
substances which enter into most of the much vaunted 
tooth-powder and dentifrices. A few formulae of this na- 
ture are here given ; with emphasis, however, to the caution 
that their use should be infrequent: 



DENTIFRICES FOR ALL CONDITIONS OF THE TEETH. 369 

DENTIFRICE INCOMPARABLE. 

Burnt hartshorn 5 ounces 

Cuttle-fish bone 5 ounces 

Armenian bole 3 ounces 

Calamus aromaticus. i ounce 

Cassia , i ounce 

Pellitory of Spain i ounce 

Camphor i drachm 

Essence of vanilla y'2 drachm 

Essence royale 15 drops 

The substances, finely comminuted, are thoroughly 
mixed and then strained. An exceedingly agreeable pow- 
der to use, and '' esteemed by smokers and others troubled 
with foul breath or with toothache." 

MYRRH DENTIFRICE. 

Cuttle-fish bone 3 ounces 

Prepared chalk , . . . 3 ounces 

Burnt hartshorn , 2 ounces 

Myrrh 2 ounces 

Orris-root 2 ounces 

Mix and strain. Commended as often efficacious in cor- 
recting diseased gums and fixing loose teeth. This can be 
made into a violet dentifrice by adding a half-drachm of 
essence of violet, and tinting it with a little indigo and about 
an ounce of red bole. 

A pleasant and tonic powder which can be used more 
frequently than either of the foregoing is this: 

TONIC TOOTH-POWDER. 

French magnesia 2 ounces 

Bicarbonate of soda H ounce 

Powdered orris-root I ounce 

Green anise-seed powder 5 drachms 

Powdered charcoal 4 drachms 

Powdered cloves 5 drachms 

Use areca-nut charcoal if possible, and mix as previously 



370 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

directed. Another which is commended as very serviceable 
for foul, lax, or bleeding gums, with loose teeth from which 
the gums incline to shrink away, is the following: 

MIAHLE'S RATIONAL DENTIFRICE. 

Sugar of milk 3 ounces 

Tannic acid 3 drachms 

Red lake i drachm 

Oil of mint 8 drops 

Oil of anise-seed 8 drops 

Oil of neroli 5 drops 

Mix and strain. Its detergent properties may be in- 
creased by the addition of an ounce each of burnt hartshorn 
and cuttle-fish bone. When the gums are in a very bad 
condition the powder can with advantage be rubbed gently 
into them with the finger; and it can be supplemented with 
this gargle used frequently during the day, and held in the 
mouth for several minutes: 

ASTRINGENT AND TONIC GARGLE. 

Tannin 8 grammes 

Tincture of iodine 5 grammes 

Iodide of potassium i gramme 

Tincture of myrrh 5 grammes 

Rose-water 200 grammes 

Make an emulsion. For use dilute in the proportions of 
about a spoonful to a third of a glass of water. 

For extremely sensitive teeth the soap pastes are bene- 
ficial, and this is a highly commended French formula: 

SAVON DENTIFRICE. 

Phosphate of lime 80 grammes 

Carbonate of magnesia 10 grammes 

Castile soap, powdered 5 grammes 

Carmine, No. 40 2 grammes 

Gum mastic 8 grammes 

Glycerine 80 grammes 

Essence of mint Yi gramme 

Essence of -roses ^ gramme 

Essence of anis vert 35 centigrammes 



AN INSIDIOUS DISEASE OF THE GUMS. 371 

Put all but the oils into a hain-marie and beat thoroughly 
together under gentle heat; when cooling add the oils, and 
pour into open-mouthed jars or porcelain boxes. 

Tartar is a complex secretion, chiefly of an alkaline na- 
ture, but the microscope reveals micro-organisms, and it is 
believed that these assimilate matter in the saliva and cast 
it down as calcium salts. This accounts for the rapidity 
with which it has been known to invade the root of the 
tooth, growing up under the gum. It inflames the perios- 
teum, the lining membrane of the tooth-socket, causing the 
disease recognized as periostitis; and the degeneration or 
absorption of this tissue causes the tooth to loosen. This is 
the insidious danger of tartar. If the periosteum is de- 
stroyed, there is no possibility of saving the tooth, and 
many a strong, sound tooth has been lost in this way. 

Another danger which threatens the integrity of the 
periosteum is the tendency to ulcers. This accompanies the 
condition of the skin, which causes acne punctata, and of the 
system which is manifested in boils and styes. If the ulcer 
is not quickly brought to a head and healed it may degen- 
erate into a chronic abscess, which will work away in a hid- 
den pocket, sometimes without any pain or soreness, till it 
has finished its mischief, the destruction of the periosteum. 

Hence the same vigilance is required to keep the gums in 
a healthful state that must be observed in the care of the 
teeth. A bit of fig is frequently used to draw an ulcer to a 
head; but treatment with vaseline and alum will do it very 
quickly and thoroughly, and with the minimum of pain and 
inflammation, which it quickly eliminates. The vaseline is 
rubbed in first, then a tiny bit of powdered alum applied 
with the finger. A perfect and rapid cure is assured by rub- 
bing the gum with vaseline and diluted glycerine at fre- 
quent intervals. 

The cure for a chronic abscess is a glycerinated lotion of 
carbolic acid and cinnamon. The acid is in a weak solution, 
as used for toilet purposes, and could be touched to the 



372 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

tongue without pain. It is mixed with the glycerine in the 
proportion of two thirds of acid to one third of glycerine, 
and five drops of pure oil of cinnamon is added for every 
ounce of the lotion. It is rubbed directly on the gum, and a 
bit of absorbent cotton wet with it is placed over the afifected 
part. For a mouth wash, fifteen drops are diluted with a 
third of a glass of water. 

This treatment effected a cure in a few weeks, after lis- 
terine and myrrh, singly and together, had been used for 
months without producing any more apparent effect than 
so much water. They had, of course, cleansed the mouth, 
and assisted in maintaining its general health, but nothing 
more. 

The art of dentistry has reached such a point of skill and 
ingenuity that if there are only a few sound teeth and roots 
left the patient is spared the annoyance of having to wear a 
plate. For the sensitive gumiS which refuse to adapt them- 
selves to the infliction of such a necessity the following oint- 
ment will prove a boon: 

POMAIADE ADOUCISSANTE. 

Vaseline i^ ounces 

Peru balsam i drachm 

Powdered tannin 1^4 drachms 

Mix. It suffices sometimes just to rub the pomade upon 
the plate where it touches the sensitive spot, but it will has- 
ten relief if rubbed into the gum itself. The set of teeth 
should be removed from the mouth at night and kept in 
a glass of water, containing a few drops of listerine or other 
antiseptic lotion. The plate and teeth can be agreeably 
sweetened and cleansed by rinsing in a half-cupful of tepid 
water containing a teaspoonful of this lotion : 

PURIFYING LOTION. 

Essence of water-cress 3 ounces 

Tincture of cachu 2^ drachms 

Tincture of rhatany 2^ drachms 

Pure thymol 2 drops 

Essence of thyme 2 drops 



SPECIFIC TREATMENT FOR DISEASED PERIOSTEUM. 373 

A weaker solution will also be found agreeable to rinse 
the mouth. The essence of water-cress must be made at 
home by digesting the fresh herb in alcohol; as, like cucum- 
ber and lettuce juices, the chemists do not keep it. A lo- 
tion entirely of water-cress juice is another astringent which 
has a happy effect upon spongy, bleeding gums, a condition 
of things which must not be neglected. The practice of the 
Irish to clean the teeth occasionally with common salt is 
commended by Dr. Shoemaker. It destroys all deposits in- 
jurious to the teeth, and if rubbed into the gums gently, 
using a bit of soft muslin, will give them firmness. 

Permanganate of Potash is a valuable salt for the teeth, 
and its property of giving off oxygen to organic substances 
immediately destroys all odors in the mouth caused by or- 
ganic bodies, A wash prepared in the proportion of five 
drachms to a quart of distilled water is a useful one to keep 
at hand. A few drops in a glass of water are used to rinse 
the mouth. It must be handled with care, as it stains the 
skin and any cloth with which it comes in contact, requir- 
ing acid for its removal. Askinson recommends '' polish- 
ing " the teeth after its use with peppermint water. 

Canker of the mouth should be treated with alum, 
which, however, should be rinsed from the teeth after a 
short time, or kept from contact with them, as it affects the 
enamel injuriously. The following is a pleasant remedy for 
the same trouble: 



CANKER SPECIFIC. 

Pure honey 2 ounces 

Powdered borax >2 drachm 

Tincture of valerian 2 drachms 

Beat thoroughly together and take one or two teaspoon- 
fuls daily. 

Toothache generally indicates that decay has attacked the 
tooth, and usually any delay in seeking the dentist's care 



374 ~ THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

is fraught with increased suffering. Temporary relief is 
afifordedby the use of the oils of cinnamon, cajeput, caraway, 
or cloves. A drop or two of any one of these on a bit of ab- 
sorbent cotton placed in the cavity, if there is one, or beside 
the tooth if it is intact, will in most cases give prompt re- 
lief. Never consent to have a tooth filled with arsenical 
tooth-cement. The destruction of the remainder of the 
tooth is sure to follow, involving frequently exfoliation of 
the jaw, and causing agonizing suffering. Gold is, of 
course, the best filling when expense need not be consid- 
ered and when the tooth is strong enough to bear the pres- 
sure involved in putting it in. Soft, friable teeth sometimes 
have to be filled with bone filling, which, if correctly pre- 
pared, is almost imperceptible. 

The following mixture is one of the toothache-drops of 
the shops and highly esteemed: 

BOERHAAVE'S ODONTALGIC. 

Opium ^ drachm (Troy) 

Camphor, powdered 5 drachms (Troy) 

Oil of cloves 2 fluid drachms 

Rectified spirits (strongest).... i^ fluid ounces 

Agitate the mixture occasionally for a week; and, after 
repose, decant the clear portion. Apply on a bit of cotton. 

Tartar can sometimes be removed from the teeth by rub- 
bing the spots with pumice-stone applied with a tiny, flat 
stick dipped in lemon-juice. Rinse the mouth afterwards 
in lime-water or a weak ammonia solution. The constant 
use of a solution of tincture of myrrh — enough in a glass 
of water to make a milky emulsion — will also frequently 
cause it to crumble away. A weak solution of muriatic acid 
is a positive agent for removing this enemy, but also a dan- 
gerous one, because its contact for even a few seconds with 
the enamel may impair it. It is applied with a tiny, rag- 
wound stick, which is dipped in the acid, then for a second 



UPON THE PREVENTION AND REMOVAL OF TARTAR. 375 

or two In a basin of water; shake It so no drop can fall from 
It, then rub the spots of tartar for a few seconds; rinse the 
mouth quickly In a solution of ammonia and water, and re- 
peat till the tartar is all gone. If deftly done so the acid Is 
not allowed to remain in contact with the enamel the opera- 
tion is harmless, which cannot be said for the scraping with 
steel Instruments of the dentists. This Is so harsh that It 
sometimes loosens the teeth and leaves them very sensi- 
tive. The remedy of all remedies Is not to allow this for- 
eign and obnoxious matter to find a habitat In the mouth. 
It is said that chlorate of potash pastils will prevent Its dep- 
osition, but much depends upon the constitutional habit, 
and a cure for one has no effect upon another. 

When the impurity of the breath seems to come from the 
stomach and Is not relieved by ammonia, charcoal tablets 
may perform the cleansing office. It Is the best method of 
taking charcoal, and most chemists keep them on sale, but 
they can be made at home by this formula: 

CHARCOAL TABLETS. 

Willow charcoal 2 ounces 

Saccharine 2 ounces 

Pure unsweetened chocolate 6 ounces 

Vanilla, powdered i drachm 

Use sufficient pure gum-arabic mucilage to mix the sub- 
stances into a stIiT paste. Roll out to a quarter-Inch thick- 
ness, and cut Into tablets about three eighths of an inch 
square. Dose: one or two of the tablets twice a day. 

It may enforce the admonition not to breathe through 
the open mouth, if I tell you that this habit In cold weather 
is very apt to cause inflammation of the periosteum and the 
pulp of the tooth ; and it Is also an Inducing cause of acute 
neuralgia. 

This naturally brings me to the voice, for the manner of 
breathing exercises so strong an influence upon its timbre. 
It is a trite saying that a low, sweet voice is a great attrac- 



376 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

tion in a woman. If her voice be sweetly melodious and 
used with skillful modulation a woman possesses one 
weapon for charming which is invaluable and may outweigh 
many physical shortcomings. 

Naturally, the beautiful mouth and coral lips should be 
fittingly completed by a lovely voice; but, too often, this 
harmonious trinity is violated by a discordant, rasping, 
badly-placed voice. It is usually the result, not of any 
physical defect, but of careless habits: careless habits of 
breathing, of thinking, and of speaking. The commonest 
defect in a woman's voice is pitching it too' high; and often 
this is accompanied by a nervous tension which holds the 
muscles of the throat taut and strained; and by short, hur- 
ried breathing which cuts the vibrations, destroys the over- 
tones, and imparts an unpleasant rasping, dead, or shrill 
timbre to the voice. 

Every one of these defects can be overcome by care and 
attention. " Nobody is ever tired of advantages. How to 
get into conformity with the laws of Nature is certainly an 
advantage." This Marcus Aurelius pointed out centuries 
ago, and it indicates the direct path to success in the search 
for an attractive speaking voice. 

Regularity and depth of breathing give fullness and purity 
of tone; and, hence, carrying power also, which is some- 
thing independent of intensity, or loudness, and of pitch. 
It is not high-pitched voi-ces that are heard the farthest, nor 
loud tones. In fact, the lower the voice, that is, the full 
chest voice, the farther it carries; for its vibrations are 
richer and its overtones more mellow and penetrating. 
Thus the well-modulated voice, which impresses with its 
ease and sincerity, is heard, without raising the natural 
speaking tone perceptibly, farther than the painfully shrill 
one. When I say ** heard," I mean its utterances are heard. 
Of course, the rasping, high-pitched voice is heard, but its 
speech is not; for the short, sharp vibrations cut and drown 
each other, besides painfully afflicting their hearer. 



THE PITCH OF THE SPEAKING VOICE. 3^7 

The voice is an instrument capable of an infinite range 
of expression, and it is in keen sympathy with the thoughts 
and emotions, reflecting them accurately when not re- 
pressed by constraint or conscious control. It will require 
painstaking effort to overcome pernicious habits, replace 
the voice, and train it to musical utterance; but the reward 
is a beautiful and hourly recompense. When you know 
that in every normal voice there are seventeen trillion and 
a half different sounds, you must be convinced that there 
is hope of improving the most strident. Beautiful emotions, 
high thinking, and deep feeling, all give depth and beauty 
to the tone of the voice. 

Train your ear to notice pleasant, agreeable voices, and 
listen to your own critically. In the seclusion of your own 
room, try the pitch of your voice till you discover its most 
melodious one, that upon which you can develop the fullest 
and sweetest timbre, — the tone which you determine shall be 
recognized by your friends as your voice. Determination 
and perseverance can win for it such a personal charm that 
the sound of it shall attract friends to you. All this can be 
accomplished by unaided effort; but, of course, when it is 
possible the work of reform is facilitated and progress more 
rapid with the assistance of a skillful teacher. . 

Like all training the benefit will not be confined to the 
special object, but will leave its traces in the greater de- 
cision and character of your features and your bearing. 

Unpleasant voices are an American characteristic. But I 
am weary of the stock charge, so long harped upon that it 
is generally accepted as an axiom, that Northern voices 
should go to school to Southern ones to study musical 
pitch and timbre. I am quite familiar with Northern types 
of voices both East and West ; and especially with the New 
England voice and its so-called "Yankee, nasal twang"; 
and I know best of all the trying cacophony of Metropolitan 
voices. But never anywhere have I heard more ear- 
offending, shrill, uncontrolled ones than in Washington, 



378 THE WOMAN BEArilFUL. 

Richmond. \'a,, and Xashville. I have seen charming 
young girls on the streets of these cities whose voices could 
be heard two blocks distant, as they talked in groups " over 
the garden gate "; and others in great hotel dining-rooms 
whose every word was heard in the most remote corner. 

It may be replied that these were Northern guests, but 
I happened to know they were Southerners; and one chief 
offender was a ravishing Mrginia beauty, — a perfect phys- 
ical type of the aristocratic F. F. A'. This is in no way set 
down in malice. I love the South and have dear friends 
there. My only object is to refute an error and pomt out 
the need of reform everywhere. Xerv^ous tension and abso- 
lute thoughtlessness on the subject are the sources of the 
evil. A cure will react most beneficially upon the nerv^es, 
for the vibrations of a strident voice wear ceaselessly upon 
them. 

Inhaling an atmosphere filled with tobacco smoke is in- 
jurious to the voice, affecting it^so disastrously that all 
singers who understand the care of their voices avoid it 
with scrupulous care. The Arabs restore lost voices by a 
diet of sun-cooked pulp of apricots; and it is said that in- 
haling the vapor from hot milk in which ripe figs have been 
boiled will sweeten the tone of the voice. 

Oriental women, who possess so many curious cosmetic 
secrets, make a delicious paste of figs and apricots which 
sweetens and softens the timbre of the voice marvellously. 
The fruit is pared and cooked with an equal quantity of 
sugar, very slowly, till reduced to a thick jam, when. it is 
poured into small flat boxes and dried in the sun. It is said 
to cure trifling disorders of throat and lungs. Infusions 
of plantain-leaves, of elder-blossoms, and of that garden 
pest, chickweed, are all good for hoarseness. Alilk and but- 
termilk are both good f©r the voice; and a raw tgg beaten 
up with a. little lem.on juice and taken before breakfast will 
strengthen and clear it. 

A French physician believes he has discovered a certain 



TO TRAIN AND IMPROVE THE VOICE. 379 

means of improving the quality of the voice through the 
inhalation of a certain compound of peroxide of hydrogen, 
which he himself prepares. He claims that the treatment 
will both sweeten and strengthen the tone. 

Wanting this magic improver, however, a woman or girl 
can accomplish a wondrous change with her own unaided 
effort when she sets about the task with the characteristic 
determination which a desire to be attractive incites. Just 
as the touch of her hand should be like a caress, so a 
woman's voice should fall upon the ear as gratefully as a 
benediction. '* When life is true to the poles of nature, the 
streams oftruth will roll through us in song." 

" Show us how divine a thing 
A woman may be made." 



CHAPTER XL 

THE soul's window: the eye. 

" Where is any author in the world. 
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye ? " 

"'The soul is in bondage just as long as the eyes are closed to 
the larger significance and purpose of life." 

" It is the soul itself which sees and hears, and not those parts 
which are, as it were, but windows to the soul." 

No other feature of the human face is so sure an index to 
the mind and character as the eye, and no arguments are 
needed to prove the importance of a beautiful one. More 
sonnets have been indited to it alone than to all other 
charms of woman. In the skill with which she uses her 
eyes lies woman's strongest and mose subtle weapon of fas- 
cination. Right here is the alphabet of the art of charm- 
ing. " As the moon gives most light when it is full, so a 
woman's eye yields most in maturity." 

" Normal and expressive use of the body begins with the 
eye, and extends like a wave over the whole body." The 
glance always speaks. What it says depends upon the 
woman. If she has not trained it to express tenderness, 
gentleness, and vivacity, together with a thousand and one 
subtle and refined gradations, that half-betray and half-con- 
ceal the conflicting, mysterious emotions which move her 
to the depths of her soul, she has neglected a source of great 
power. The growth of the soul in love and faith and trust, 
a trinity of character-builders, is the school of the eye. 

380 



THE PHYSICAL BEAUTY OF THE EYE. 381 

Nothing gives to the eye so much beauty as a vital in- 
terest in humanity; self-absorption deadens the eye, but 
love irradiates.it with the flash and glow of emotion. These 
are the 

" Eyes so transparent 
That through them one sees the soul," 

Eyes wait for no introduction. They respect no privacy; 
of thought, nor rank nor pride of place. With one insistent 
sweep they " go through and through you in a moment of 
time." And if you deny them with coldest armor of 
haughty reserve, you cannot protect your nerves from the 
thrill which penetrates the remotest fibre of your being. 
** An eye can threaten like a loaded and levelled gun," 
Emerson says, " or can insult like hissing or kicking; or, 
in its altered mood, by beams of kindness, it can make the 
heart dance with joy." 

O, wondrous, mysterious power, wielded by human beings 
over each other's hearts and emotions; capable of all good 
and all joy, yet perverted through willfulness or ignorant 
blindness to basest use! A look may wreck a life or a home, 
or open the Gates of Paradise ! 

The physical beauty of the eye depends more upon its 
size and elongation than upon the color. If the form be 
bad, or if it be not well set in the head, no color can make 
the eye beautiful. The white of the eye, the sclerotic, should 
be clear and of a violet-white rather than bluish; just 
that tint that seems to reflect a violet. The cornea is some- 
times spoken of as '' the white of the eye," but it is a tough, 
colorless, highly polished body, as transparent as the clear- 
est crystal, through which the iris and pupil are seen. It 
is inserted into the sclerotic, as a watch crystal is into the 
case. The brightness of the eye depends upon the perfec- 
tion of the cornea's essential qualities; and perfect vision, 
upon its normal curvature. A muddy tinge to the sclerotic 
indicates a phlegmatic, heavy nature, and physical disor- 
ders or Repression make it look like old ivory. Too large 



382 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

an expanse of white, in humans as in horses, is a sign of a 
bad temper. 

Eyes in which the white can be seen as a -setting to the 
iris are said to belong to erratic persons, and indicate a ten- 
dency to insanity. NobiHty of character is indicated when 
the white shows beneath the iris; and if the upper eyelid 
droops partly over the pupil, 'tis pronounced a sign of men- 
tal ability. These, however, are fanciful distinctions which, 
as every one knows, thought and emotion and also the di- 
rection of the glance must modify. In a dreamy mood, the 
most thoughtless butterfly of a girl gives her eyes a lan- 
guishing droop under half-closed eyelids which she knows 
very well is vastly becoming; and the woman who never 
had a disinterested, unselfish emotion in her life when de- 
nied something she greatly desires assumes a resigned- 
martyr air which might (?) be mistaken for ''nobility of 
character," but is not! 

The office of the pupil is that of a curtain which controls 
the amount of light admitted to the sensitive optic nerve; 
but. beyond this involuntary expansion and contraction, its 
size depends upon the state of the emotions, and its en- 
largement has a wonderful effect upon the apparent size of 
the eye. Joy and all light-heartedness enlarge it; while 
melancholy and worry and dullness take all the energy and 
life out of it, and it seems to shrivel to a mere point. 

It is impossible to define or explain the influence of color 
in respect to eyes upon different natures. One man is swept 
off his feet by a single glance from a pair of melting, dark 
brown eyes; while he is utterly unmoved when exposed to 
a continuous fire from the sparkling sapphire orbs that 
captivate his brother. It would seem that character had 
something to do with the matter, but often that only makes 
the question more of a riddle. 

Science can explain the phenomenon only as one of per- 
sonal magnetism. But then science is a poor thing, after 
all, when it has to do with imponderable things that can- 



ITS EMOTIONAL BEAUTY. 383 

not be weighed in scruples, drachms, and ounces; nor rea- 
soned out a priori or a posteriori. Considered broadly, from 
an aesthetic point of view without reference to any particular 
eyes, it is generally conceded that dark brown and deep 
sapphire-blue eyes have equal claims to beauty. When they 
have corresponding advantages in setting, — are neither 
deeply sunken nor protuberant; are surmounted with deli- 
cately arched brows and veiled by long, curling lashes, they 
are the most beautiful of all eyes. 

Although nothing can be done to alter the color of the 
eye, it is deepened and intensified by feeling, and the joy- 
ous frame of mind that expands the pupil improves and 
brightens the color wonderfully. The use of belladonna to 
accomplish this purpose cannot be too strongly condemned, 
and feminine vanity is pushed to a dangerous latitude when 
it adopts this artifice for simulating natural beauty. The 
practice is almost invariably followed by irrevocable in- 
jury to the most delicate organ and most precious sense 
with which humanity is endowed. 

Dr. Sozinskey is authority for the assertion that the same 
effect can be harmlessly gained by using a solution of sul- 
phate of atropia. One grain of the sulphate is dissolved in 
an ounce of distilled water, and with a glass dropper from 
one to three drops are made to fall directly into the eye. 
I should not record this fact here, were it not that the 
remedy is an accepted one for strabismus, or squinting, and 
for near-sightedness. But she is a foolish woman who 
tampers in any way with the integrity of so sensitive an 
organ if her eyes are strong and normal. 

According to Lavater, the temperamental characteristics 
of both deep-set and protruding eyes are unfavorable. He 
found the former melancholy and morose, and the latter 
selfishly intent on the search for enjoyment. " Animally 
considered they are generally the slaves of sensual indul- 
gence." 

Protruding eyes are set In too thick a cushion of fat, and 



384 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the disciplinary regimen of diet and daily habits which will 
counteract it cannot fail to improve the character also. The 
sunken, hollow eye lacks the cushion, and a diet of rich, 
fat-making foods will improve it wonderfully; while the 
change of habits which will naturally follow when thought 
is directed to the subject, will bring an ease of mind and 
freedom from nervous tension, a broader outlook beyond 
self, that will banish melancholy brooding as an unwhole- 
some nightmare. 

Artistic proportion requires that the eyes be the length 
of one eye apart. If placed too close together, jealousy, 
fault-finding, and pettiness of disposition are indicated; 
while broad intelligence and a tenacious memory attend 
the opposite adjustment. Exaggerated breadth, however, 
is a sign of stupidity, and characterizes lower orders of in- 
telligence. 

In childhood the eyes are round, but with the growth 
of the mind they elongate to a beautiful oval. Wide-open, 
staring, round eyes mark the mind that does not develop, 
but is bound up in bigotry, intolerance, and all forms of 
narrow conceit. They have little self-control, and never 
but one point of view, self! These eyes prove, if proof were 
yet wanting, the beautifying effect of development of mind 
and character. 

All variations from the normal intensify and exaggerate 
types. If the oval of the eye becomes a long, slender al- 
mond, with the outward droop of the corner sharpening 
to a point, beware of a suspicious, crafty, and subtle nature. 
A slight droop of the outward corners enhances the beauty 
of the eye, and it was one of the charms of the unfortunate 
Empress Eugenie. This droop may be cultivated by fre- 
quently drawing outward the corners of the eyelids, and it 
will lessen the bead-like appearance of round eyes. 

Gray eyes are markedly the eyes of intellect and a well- 
balanced character; generally they indicate unselfishness 
and a strict sense of justice; in connection with a broad 



CHARACTER IN THE EYES. 385 

forehead they denote talent. Napoleon, Wellington, Mil- 
ton, Byron, and Scott all had gray eyes. If they turn green 
in anger, a choleric temperament is indicated; and with a 
greenish cast, turning to blue and green, a treacherous, cun- 
ning disposition is betrayed. 

Brown and hazel eyes are, as a rule, afifectionate, gentle, 
intelligent, and courageous; though the hazel eye can be 
fickle and, with an arched eyebrow, often possesses an uncer- 
tain temper. But the very dark, velvety brown eyes are in- 
tensely passionate and not to be trusted. Nothing good is 
said of a coal black eye, which the physiognomist declares 
expresses less intellectuality than any others. One writer 
scathingly says: *' They fascinate one somewhat at first, 
but they say nothing. There is, in truth, no soul behind 
them, and their possessors are stupid and material to the 
last degree." 

To the Greek mind, the large, bright blue eye seemed 
the highest type, and Minerva was alw'ays represented with 
such eyes. But there are many very unattractive types of 
blue eyes. Physiognomy teaches " That violet-blue eyes 
are loving and ardent, but impetuous and not intellectual. 
Very light blue eyes are indicative of cunning and cruelty, 
particularly when convexed and short-sighted." They are 
also pronounced deceitful and innately cruel, and many peo- 
ple can corroborate this judgment from their own experience. 
Blue eyes have been pronounced efifeminate, but this can be 
clearly refuted, '' for blue eyes are found only among Cau- 
casian nations, and the white races rule the world." 

The manner of moving the eye has much to do with its 
beauty, and is everything in the efifect it produces. The 
eye of genius and of intellect moves with freedom and ease, 
and almost anticipates the spoken thought with its intelli- 
gent beam, which is more than a flash; it is a glow, that 
penetrates and moves you. Women who have no interests 
outside of themselves have a dull, vacant stare, and move 
their eyes sluggishly ; convincing us that *' The ruin or the 



386 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

blank that we see when we look at nature is in our own 
eyes." 

Longfellow had no fondness for the soulless, quick-flash- 
ing eye. In '' Hyperion " he says: " I dislike an eye that 
twinkles like a star. Those only are beautiful which, like 
the planets, have a steady lambent light, are luminous, but 
not sparkling." 

There is much of charm in the trifling act of the mere 
movement of the eyelids as they rise and fall. When they 
fold upward in one smooth, deep, oval flexion it adds a 
subtile fascination to the face. Constant winking conveys 
an unpleasant impression of flighty, uncertain purpose and 
want of interest ; while the calm, steady gaze of attention is 
assurance of poise, and imparts something of its own con- 
fidence, and we rest in it as in still waters. 

Nothing connected with the eye is so susceptible of im- 
provement as the eyebrows and eyelashes, and it is amazing 
that instead of pencilling and dyeing these, women do not 
cultivate legitimate beauty in them. There are eyebrow- 
brushes for sale in the shops now, but a small, fine tooth- 
brush answers the purpose very well. With it the eyebrows 
should be brushed night and morning, to promote their 
gloss and train them into shape. If thin, a drop of almond 
or olive oil, or the least soupcon of pomatum or vaseline 
should be rubbed into them before brushing. The eye 
needs the protection of dark lashes and brows and is 
strengthened by them, so this is care which health dictates 
as well as beauty. Staring, ill-shaped eyebrows, with coarse 
bristling hairs, can be disciplined into the way they should 
grow by running the mucilage brush across them at night. 
Be sure the mucilage is sweet and fresh, or else make some 
of gum tragacanth or quince seeds dissolved in elder-flower 
water, rosemary, or rose-water. Let the gum dry on, and 
wash off in the morning with warm water. A month or 
two of treatment will reduce quite unrul}^ brows to sub- 
jection, and coa'rse hairs will drop out. 



TO IMPROVE THE EYEBROWS AND EYELASHES. 387 

An alcoholic water or pure alcohol or perfumed glyc- 
erine, rubbed into the eyebrows with a finger-tip, will im- 
prove their lustre and promote growth. A French oint- 
ment for the same purpose is this: 

BORATED VASELINE. 

Red vaseline 10 grammes 

Boric acid 10 centigrammes 

When from sickness or other cause the eyebrows or a 
part have fallen entirely. Dr. Vaucaire commends the fol- 
lowing: 

LOTION FOR FALLING EYEBROWS. 

Tincture of rosemary ; 10 grammes 

Tincture of cantharides 2 grammes 

Spirits of camphor lOO grammes 

Alcoholat de Fioravanti (a French 
toilet-water) 100 grammes 

Hungarian Water or fine Cologne could be substituted 
for the " Fioravanti." The bald spots only are to be lightly 
frictioned with a bit of cotton or a small brush dipped in the 
lotion. Of course anything used upon the eyebrows must 
be put on delicately and in minute proportions. The object 
is not to stimulate large, heavy, or broad brows; but to give 
velvety softness and close growth to a narrow, arched band. 
It is very disfiguring and gives a sinister cast to the coun- 
tenance when the brows grow together, and this should be 
remedied by the use of depilatories or electricity, — concern- 
ing which see Chapter VIIL Certain of the pomades there 
given — especially the Dupuytren — can also be used with 
good effect upon the eyebrows. Other remedies to pro- 
mote their growth, which can be used also on the eyelashes, 
are the following: 

EYEBROW AND EYELASH TONIC. 

Lavender vinegar 2>4 ounces 

Glycerine i^ ounces 

Fluid extract of jaborandi 2 drachms 



388 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

The formula for lavender vinegar can be found by con- 
sulting index. Agitate ingredients till thoroughly incor- 
porated. Apply to the eyebrows with the brush; and to the 
lashes with a tiny camel's-hair paint-brush. The brush 
must be freed from any drop, and passed lightly along the 
edge of the eyelids, exercising extreme care that no 
minutest portion of the lotion touches the eye itself. The 
extreme sensitiveness of the conjunctiva, which covers the 
entire exposed surface of the eye, is the protection Nature 
has given this delicate structure, upon whose perfection so 
much of our happiness depends. But for it we might care- 
lessly let many harmful particles remain till irrevocable in- 
jury was inflicted. 



STIMULANT POMADE. 

Red vaseline 2 ounces 

Tincture of cantharides i drachm 

Oil of lavender 15 drops 

Oil of rosemary 15 drops 

The growth of the eyelashes is greatly promoted by clip- 
ping them at regular intervals for a few months. As the 
task requires a firm, confident touch it is easiest done by 
another, yet can, if necessary, be done by one's self. Long, 
outward-curling lashes are a very great beauty in them- 
selves, besides affording great protection to the eye, and a 
good deal of painstaking in their care is worth while. It 
is said that rubbing them three times daily with an infusion 
of white wine and mint will stimulate their growth, as also 
that of the eyebrows. M. Andre-\"aldes recommends bath- 
ing the eyes frequently in a warm infusion of corn-flowers 
or of chervil, which will strengthen them and make the 
lashes grow long and silky. Directions are given to infuse 
sixty-five grammes of the corn-flowers in a quart of water 
for twenty-four jiours ; then strain and distil the water over 
a slow fire. The infusion could also be made with distilled 



ORIENTAL TREATMENT OF EYELASHES. 389 

water by steeping — not boiling — for six to eight hours, and 
then letting it infuse for thirty-six hours before straining. 

QUININE OINTMENT. 

Sulphate of quinine 5 grains 

Sweet-almond oil i ounce 

This is to be applied to the lashes with a fine sable pencil 
or tiny brush as directed for the foregoing, and I give the 
formula because the substances are easily obtained. 

M. Andre-Valdes mentions another remedy for which 
wonderful virtue is claimed both in strengthening the sight 
and developing the lashes into a bewildering fringe. It 
comes, like so many of the most wonderful cosmetics, from 
the beauty-worshipping Orient, and is accredited with cen- 
turies of use. It is a powder called Mesdjem, and is said to 
be the veritable Es-Med used by the tribe of Ammon three 
thousand years before the coming af Christ. Mahomet 
mentions it in the Koran; as, " The most precious of your 
collyria [eye medicines] is Es-Med, for it strengthens the 
sight and makes the lashes grow." Certain of the Parisian 
perfumers have the powder for sale, and it seems to be used 
as are kohl and kohol to darken the edges of the eyelids and 
the outer corners, to make the eyes look larger and impart 
to them a languishing expression. 

This is a most objectionable practice which can be tol- 
erated only upon the stage, where " distance lends enchant- 
ment," and where the exigencies of light necessitate the 
practice of maquillage to accentuate and bring out the fea- 
tures. When Mahomet prescribed the practice for Arabian 
women of darkening the undersides of the eyelids, it was 
in order to protect them from the glaring light of the sun 
on the desert sands which frequently caused ophthalmia. 
Thus it was a hygienic practice which had nothing in com- 
mon with modern coqucttcric. The effect produced is so 
flagrantly artificial, when confronted in street or drawing- 
room, that all women of refined sensibilities shun it. 



^go THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Mahomet is also credited with recommending the use of 
kohl, a preparation of antimony which has been used from 
Cleopatra's day to our own time, and is in as great demand 
in Europe now as in the Orient. It is applied, in the 
Moorish and Egyptian fashion, with a tiny probe of ivory, 
wood, or metal, having a blunt point. This is moistened 
with the lips, or dipped in rose-water, then rolled in the 
powder, which is a bluish-gray substance, and drawn along 
the edges of the eyelids, so that the lashes as well as the 
borders of the lids are tinted with it. Stibium, or antimony- 
glance, a mixture of sulphur and antimony, is said to have 
been used by the ancient Babylonians in the same way. 
They are both of them harmless, but have no other recom- 
mendation to the women of the Occident, who do not spend 
days traversing barren sands. 

Kohol — which I believe to be the same thing referred to 
as kajul — is the condensed smoke from burning camphor 
which Oriental women collect and form into a paste. It is 
applied to the eyelids and lashes in the same way as kohl, 
and is thought to enhance the brilliancy of the eyes very 
much. This may be true of its effect on the stage, and its 
use can be commended for private theatricals and tableaux 
vivants. But American tastes, and morals too, will have 
to change entirely before smudged eyelids will ever be 
looked at in real life other than askance. The most lenient 
criticism it is possible to pass is that it gives a woman a 
doubtful appearance. 

It is a quite permissible artifice to use any of these sub- 
stances to deepen the color of the eyelashes, and with a deft 
touch in the outer corner seem to lengthen the eye. Other 
expedients of Oriental women for staining or dyeing the 
eyebrows and eyelashes are to rub them often with juice of 
elderberries, or with a burned clove or cork; and the black 
of burned incense, resin, or mastic is mixed with almond-oil 
and applied as an unguent. 

These black dyes must be used only when the hair is 



EYEBROW AND EYELASH DYES. 301 

black or dark brown, A blonde must tint her brows and 
lashes a light brown, and other shades corr^^spondingly. 
One of the most harmless of black dyes for the' purpose and 
most generally used in France and this country is 

TEINTURE CHINOISE. 

Gum arabic 4 drachms 

India ink 7 drachms 

Rose-water i pint 

Powder the ink and the gum, and triturate small quanti- 
ties of the powder with rose-water till a uniform black liquid 
results, absolutely free from granules. Then put the liquid 
in a bottle and pour over it the remainder of the rose-water. 
Askinson contributes to the confusion already existing in 
the names of these Oriental cosmetics, by calling this 
familiar rose-solution of India ink " Kohol''! It may be 
applied with a sable pencil or very tiny^ brush dipped first in 
borated water. For brown dyes, see Chapter VIII. , and 
note also cautions there given concerning the harmony of 
the brows and lashes with the hair. Another black dye 
commended by Andre-Valdes and much used in Europe 
is this: 

LA FOREST'S COSMETIC LOTION. 

Red wine 12 ounces 

Coarse gray salt i drachm 

Sulphate of iron 2 drachms 

Boil for five minutes in a covered, glazed pipkin or a 
glass jar; then add: 

Oxide of copper (verdigris) i drachm 

Boil two minutes longer; then remove from the fire, and 
add: 

Powdered Aleppo-galls 2 drachms 

Agitate occasionally, still keeping closely covered. When 



392 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

partly cooled, pour into permanent bottle, add a tablespoon- 
ful of French brandy, cork closely, and continue frequent 
agitation for a few hours. After repose for two days decant 
clear portion, and filter, if necessary. It must be applied 
very carefully with a finely pointed, tiny camel's-hair brush, 
and should not touch the skin as it stains badly. After ten 
minutes, wipe off with a warm cloth, — any particle which 
has stained the skin should be wiped before it dries on, — 
then wash the brows and lashes in warm water. Cooley 
pronounces this " nothing more than a rude species of weak 
cupro-ferric ink." But it is exploited under various fancy 
names, and used for the hair as well as eyebrows and lashes. 
\\'hen there is a disposition to that annoying affliction, 
a stye, frequent bathing with myrtle or chamomile water is 
a preventive measure. If the pain of one gathering is felt, 
take a drop of tincture of belladonna upon a lump of sugar, 
and bathe the eye with warm elder-flower water. The diet 
should be plain and nourishing without spicy or stimulating 
foods, and late hours or excessive fatigue should be avoided. 
Dr. Alonin recommends this: 

STYE POMADE. 

White vaseline 8 grammes 

White precipitate lo centigrammes 

Oil of birch lo centigrammes 

He also directs bathing the eyes night and morning with 
plantain-water, in which a little bicarbonate of soda is 
dissolved, perfumed with a few drops of Eau de Cologne. 
A solution of one drachm of pure sal-ammoniac in a half- 
pint of distilled water is also pronounced efficacious to ar- 
rest the progress of styes and to correct the conditions pro- 
ducing them.. An ointment made of thick, sweet cream in 
which one grain of yellow oxide of mercury has been thor- 
oughly blended is excellent, both as healing and preventive, 
and it is one of the best remedies for inflammation of the eye- 
lids — ophthalmia- — or conjunctivitis. Red oxide of m^ercury 
is often recommended in eye-ointments, but the United 



STYES ; THEIR PREVENTION AND CURE. 393 

States Pharmacopoeia cautions against its use as it is not 
so soluble as the yellow, and consequently may inflict in- 
jury. Mercury, however, is so powerful an agent, and the 
eye so sensitive an organ, that the advice of a physician 
should be had before its use. 

'Tis said that the application of ice to a stye will some- 
times *' scatter " it; and rubbing the eyelid with camphor 
gum will in some cases drive the afflicting pest away. 
When, however, it neither " scatters " nor comes readily 
to a " head," it is best to apply a warm poultice of flaxseed 
or bread and milk ; lance with a fine needle, and bathe with 
warm or hot water, following this with one of the astringent 
lotions already given. Alum or calendula water^a tea- 
spoonful of the latter in a half-glass of iced water — are also 
useful to heal and allay the inflammation. 

When a waxy mucus is secreted about the eyelids which 
sticks them together during sleep it indicates a diseased 
state of the ciliary glands; it is often, also, the first symp- 
tom of ophthalmia, or may develop into that if neglected. 
Nitrate of mercury ointment — Unguentum Hydrargyri 
Nitrita — is the specific, and it is quite as valuable for these 
inflammations of the eyelids as the celebrated Golden Oint- 
ment, which is almost the same composition. This trouble 
is very apt to involve the eyelashes, and will certainly cause 
them to fall if not promptly checked. People of lymphatic, 
gouty, and rheumatic temperaments are particularly liable 
to inflammatory disorders of the eyelids, and producing 
causes are exposure to severe cold, drying winds, dust, 
gritty particles, smoke and irritating fumes, excessive 
fatigue, prolonged vigils, vitiated air, repeated violent weep- 
ing, and eye-strain from continued application by artificial 
light. 

Ophthalmia is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, which 
is the lining membrane of the eyelids, extending also over 
the exterior part of the eyeball. Of course, the best medical 
advice should be had when attainable. But patient care 



394 I'HE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and absolute cleanliness, together with the application of 
simple lotions and ointments, will often effect a cure. The 
general treatment is fomentations with warm — or even hot 
— water or a decoction of poppy-heads or a borated in- 
fusion of chamomile. For the latter, a spoonful of boric- 
acid crystals is dissolved in a cup of the chamomile. Apply 
very gently and soakingly with antiseptic cotton rolled into 
a little baton-like wad. Strict attention must be paid to 
diet, avoiding all stimulants and drinking aperient waters 
freely. 

When inflammation subsides, tepid water, then cold, can 
be used, and a very mild, cooling, astringent eye-water. 
'Those containing sulphate of zinc, alum, or vinegar are 
the best. When ophthalmia is chronic or follows measles, 
fevers, or rheumatism, the diluted ointment of nitrate of 
mercury — also called '' citrine ointment " — and nitrate 
oxide of mercury are excellent. One part of the mercury 
ointment is mixed with three parts of fresh lard, using an 
ivory or wooden knife to beat them together. This is also 
commended, by an English oculist, to be used in any in- 
flammation of the eyelids, from the moment the secretions 
are observed to be disordered. In every form of the disease 
frequent bathing with warm water or milk and water is 
necessary; and the use of astringent lotions is advised to 
be continued for some time after an apparent cure, to pre- 
vent a return of the trouble. 

An eminent French oculist considers a solution of mor- 
phia a specific for the disease. He puts one drop into the 
eye two or three times daily, and directs the usual warm 
bathing, or fomentation, to be frequent. The officinal- — 
meaning medicinal, — that of the United States Pharma- 
copoea — solution of hydrochlorate (or the acetate) of mor- 
phia may be used with great benefit to bathe the eyelids and 
brow, leaving it to dry on; as it is colorless, it can be ap- 
plied during the day as well as at night. It not only affords, 
sometimes, remarkable relief in cases of ophthalmia, but also 



INFLAMED EYES : PRODUCING CAUSES. 395 

strengthens weak vision and soothes weak and irritable eyes. 
Laudanum acts only less efficiently in the sarne way; but, 
as it stains, its use must be confined to night. When there 
is much pain or irritability a single drop of the solution of 
hydrochlorate or acetate of morphia, or wine of opium, pre- 
viously diluted with two or three drops of water, may be 
put into the eye with a glass dropper. 

If the secretions of the eyelids are thick and crusty, after 
warm fomentations, this pomade is advised by Dr. Vau- 
caire : 

Oxide of zinc 5 centigrammes 

Subacetate of lead 5 centigrammes 

Oil of sweet almonds 50 centigrammes 

Vaseline 6 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin. 5 drops 

Very great care is necessary in compounding all medi- 
cines to be used upon the eyes; and the ointments, es- 
pecially, Cooley pronounces '' unfit articles of domestic 
manufacture. Slight errors in the proportions of the in- 
gredients, or neglect to reduce the hard or gritty substances 
which enter into their composition to impalpable powder, 
has often been followed by very serious consequences, and 
even blindness." Therefore, it is advisable to have these 
remedies prepared, when possible, by a competent pharma- 
cist. 

The following formulae for the astringent lotions, or eye- 
waters (collyria), to be used when inflammation from 
ophthalmia has subsided, are simple and quite within the 
scope of domestic manipulation: 

Distilled vinegar i ounce 

Distilled water 9 ounces 

Any good pure vinegar may be substituted for the dis- 
tilled, if that is not obtainable, and when necessary boiled 
soft water can be the diluent; if not crystal-clear, filter 



396 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

through porous paper. This collyria is used in mild chronic 
ophthalmia, and for weak, blear eyes. When flying parti- 
cles of lime or mortar lodge in the eye, this will remove 
them. An ounce of good brandy or half as much rectified 
spirit is sometimes added, and makes it more efficacious 
when the membranes are relaxed. 

Sulphate of zinc 20 grains 

Distilled water ^ pint 

Agitate till the sulphate is dissolved, and filter through 
porous paper. It is used in any sort of ophthalmia, chronic 
or ordinary, as soon as the inflammation abates, and is also 
commended for weak, lax, watery, and irritable eyes. When 
there is much pain its efficacy is increased by the addition 
of two ounces of wine of opium, or five to six grains of ace- 
tate of morphia. 

Alum (powdered) 10 grains 

Sulphate of zinc 10 grains 

Distilled water ^ pint 

Agitate till the solids are dissolved, and filter. When 
necessary, in this and the preceding lotion, boiled soft water 
can be substituted for the distilled. It is to be used to alle- 
viate and cure similar conditions. With all lotions, pour a 
little into a saucer from which to wet the cloth or cotton. 

For continued redness of the eyelids borated lettuce- 
water is advised, and if the co.ndition is one of great 
obstinacy the following: 

Borax I gramme 

Quince-seed mucilage 10 grammes 

Water of cherry-laurel 5 grammes . 

Distilled water 100 grammes 

Agitate till thoroughly mingled. For use, dilute with 
three times as much distilled water and with the aid of a 



TREATMENT OF INFLAMED EYES. 397 

glass dropper put from three to five drops into the eye. Dr. 
Vaucaire recommends with this treatment to take in the 
morning two spoonfuls of cod-liver oil or of syrup of iodine 
of iron. 

An excellent remedy for granulated eyelids, a condition 
which is another menace to the thickness and beauty of the 
lashes, is to make a paste by rubbing a piece of alum into 
the white of egg till a curd is formed. Apply it to the lids 
at night, bandaging the eyes with soft hnen. 

The acute inflammation sometimes caused by exposure 
to a cold wind is usually quickly relieved by fomentations 
with hot water, followed by bathing with a wash of witch- 
hazel and camphor-julep in equal parts, which can be ap- 
plied at frequent intervals till relieved. Both of these, 
separately, seem to act as specifics with some constitutions 
in all trifling disorders of the eye. Witch-hazel when di- 
luted with half as much water can, with excellent results, 
be dropped directly into the eye. This treatment quickly 
relieves the heat and burning in tired eyes too long kept 
on a strain by exposure to glaring artificial light. 

An English remedy pronounced excellent for sore, weak, 
and inflamed eyes is compounded from this formula: 

EYE OINTMENT. 

Petrolatum 3 drachms 

White wax -. 2 drachms 

Oxide of zinc 21 grains 

Yellow oxide of mercury 2 grains 

Oil of lavender 10 drops 

Melt the wax and petrolatum in a bain-marie, and stir 
constantly while cooling; triturate with the oxides in an 
earthen bowl, beating the mixture with an ivory or wooden 
paddle or spoon; add the lavender last of all. Remember 
in applying any ointment or eye-wash that the eyes must be 
perfectly cleansed first with warm water and carefully dried. 

To enforce the caution already given concerning the use 
of belladonna, I must add that the disease amaurosis, which 



398 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

is the loss of sight without visible defect of the eye, is some- 
times caused by exposure to the vapor of Prussic acid or to 
the application of belladonna, both of which are means 
adopted to artificially enlarge the pupil of the eye. Though 
both are useful medicines they are also active poisons, and 
their misuse is certain to impair the vision, if it does not 
cause blindness. 

Everything which affects the nervous system unfavorably 
is a menace to the strength of the eye. Hygienic habits of 
life and everything that promotes and increases the general 
health invigorate it, and help to keep it unimpaired till late 
in life. The reckless misuse and abuse of the eyes in youth 
and early adult life is amazing, and it is so universal that it 
would be as hard to find one woman or girl who uses her 
eyes carefully as to tell where the next great gold-field will 
be discovered. 

The vision of the eye is perfect in proportion as its focus 
is adjusted perfectly, and as no broken-up rays of light 
strike upon it with a glare that causes the pupil in self-de- 
fence to contract. Too much light is as great an evil as too 
little. In reading, writing, or sewing, the light should come 
from the left, preferably over the left shoulder. It should 
be clear and abundant without being dazzling, and it is 
better when it is not screened or sifted through curtains, 
but comes directly from the open air or through clear glass. 
Broken light, coming from two directions, is an unfortunate 
combination for the eye, and should not be tolerated, if 
ingenuity can invent an expedient to overcome the diffi- 
culty. 

Flickering light should be avoided, as also reading in a 
reclining position, and straining for a steady focus by trying 
to read in the cars or in a moving carriage. When sitting 
in the open air, the sunlight should not fall on book or 
work, and if the light is strong and intense the eyes should 
be shaded by ajiat-brim. It is suicidal to use the eyes at all 
in the fading twilight. Nature provides this half-light as an 



PERNICIOUS USE OF THE EYE. ^ 399 

imperative call for surcease from labor, and we should make 
this between-times yield us precious rest, to carry us 
through added hours of labor — if need be — by artificial 
light to the end of the day's goal. The eyes need it and 
the nerves as well; and a half-hour's intercourse with one's 
soul in an elysium of joyous, expectant waiting, floating on 
the full tide of psychic ether, will bring us waves of in- 
spiration in whatever task we take up when we buckle on 
the harness for the home-run. 

The mobility of the eye and the natural fluidity of its 
humors are greatly promoted by the habit of frequently 
changing the focus. The eyes should be often lifted from 
the printed page, writing, embroidery, or special work 
which requires their close, fixed gaze. They should be 
turned in every direction, far and near, sidewise, upward, 
and downward. The oftener they can be directed to some 
distant object, as far-away hills or the horizon line, the bet- 
ter, for the normal eye is then at rest. The shut-in, street- 
bound outlook of city life promotes rapidly failing vision, 
for muscular effort is required to constantly adjust the eye 
to near-by objects. 

An admirable expedient for resting the eyes when the 
windows afford no view, is to hang your mountains and 
fine distant perspectives on the wall in the form of pictures. 
The moment you see little black specks floating before the 
eyes close them for a few seconds, then look off at the 
farthest mountain in your sight. Such pictures are es- 
pecially needed in a room where the eyes are severely taxed, 
as they exercise a much more tonic effect upon them than 
portraits or flower pictures, or other flat decorative objects, 
as plaster casts. Frequent two- or three-minute rests are 
wonderful eye- savers, and in the sum of the day's work, the 
time will not be missed, being more than made up by the 
greater ease with which work can be done. 

The eyes should never be steadily employed by arti- 
ficial light; and, especially after a long day's constant use, 



400 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

forcing them to work at night is one of the most mischie- 
vous, eye-spoihng habits, at whose door countless ruined 
eyes can be laid. 

Rubbing the eyes on waking in the morning, or when 
sleepy and when bathing, is earnestly deprecated, as all 
pressure or harsh movements tend to flatten the eyeball and 
hasten the time when the sight will dim and require the aid 
of glasses. They should always be touched with utmost 
gentleness and wiped with a soft towel. 

\Mien myopia — short-sight — is caused by abnormal den- 
sity of the humor of the crystalline lens, it is sometimes cor- 
rected by rubbing the forehead above the eyebrows, and the 
temples with strong tincture of ginger or capsicum or with 
Beaufoy's acetic acid. Swollen eyes and weak sight are 
also sometimes relieved by the same treatment. ]\Iyopia 
that is caused by too great convexity of the cornea and 
lens, can in many cases be entirely overcome by passing the 
fingers gently over the eyes several times from the inner 
corner to the temple. Repeat at intervals during the day. 
The effect will, of course, be gradual. A massaging instru- 
ment to accomplish this very purpose has been invented 
by ^I. Dion. It is adjusted with the minutest delicacy and 
accuracy, and is said to be very effective in promoting the 
normal condition of the eye. 

For failing, weak, or long sight, all of which result from 
the flattening of the cornea and lens, and require the mag- 
nifying glasses of advanced age, the rounding-up can be 
promoted by pressing the fingers with gentle stroke from 
the outer angle of the eyes inward towards the nose, both 
above and below the eyeball. It is said that this treatment 
has restored eyes impaired by age as well as by excessive 
use, and that with others the habit of so manipulating the 
eyes has maintained their vigor to advanced age. Observe 
that extreme gentleness must characterize the touch, or 
harm instead of benefit will result. Taking the eyeball be- 
tween the thumb and forefinger horizontally and pressing it 



TO STRENGTHEN WEAK EYES. 40 1 

gently together will also aid in preserving its rotundity, and * 
thereby in retaining the sight. 

Weary eyes and those which are being constantly over- 
taxed should be bathed from time to time in some stimu- 
lating lotion, and in addition to the remedies and treatment 
already advised, here are some formulas from French au- 
thorities which may suit specific cases: 

EYE STIMULANT. 

Filtered rain-water (or distilled water) . i^ pints 

Sulphate of zinc 30 centigrammes 

Orris-root powder i gramme 55 cgm. 

Put all in a bottle and agitate, then set in a cool place for 
twenty-four hours; strain through porous paper. To ap- 
ply, pour a small quantity into an eye-bath or other con- 
venient receptacle and open and shut the eye in the solution 
so the eyeball will be flooded with it. 

A more elaborate formula of Dr. Desparquet's is this: 

;. BALSAM WATER FOR THE PRESERVATION OF SIGHT. 

Rose-water (of pale rose-petals) 500 grammes 

Water of young grapevine sprigs 200 grammes 

Lettuce-water 150 grammes 

Myrtle-leaf water 50 grammes 

Eau de Cologne (a 22%) 50 grammes 

Tincture of myrrh 15 grammes 

Tincture of saffron 10 grammes 

Tincture of ambergris 10 grammes 

Pulverized white sugar 15 grammes 

Of the substances, the grapevine sprigs would have to be 
steeped at home, and, if out of season, from hothouse vines. 
The myrtle is the myrtus connmmis of Southern Europe, the 
oil of which is used by French perfumers. The leaves are 
not common in this country, but the French eau d'anges, an 
aromatic water, is distilled from them, and could be used in 
their place. The substances are put into a glass jar and left 
to Infuse for ten days or a fortnight, agitating daily; after 



4^2 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

which the decoction is filtered till perfectly clear. One 
spoonful of the balsam in a half-glass of water is used to 
bathe the eye several times a day, applying with a cotton 
baton or a bit of soft linen. If the eyes are more than tired 
and give evidence of failing sight, three to four drops of the 
pure balsam should be dropped into the eye at bedtime and 
on rising in the morning. In both cases this hygienic and 
tonic lotion is claimed to afford great relief. 

For that condition of sensitiveness which causes the tears 
to flow freely when the eyes are exposed to the cold, this 
lotion is commended: 

Corn-flower water 200 grammes 

Alcoholat of Montpellier (French toilet-water) 20 grammes 

Hydrolat [water] of cherry-laurel 10 grammes 

Boric acid, pure 8 grammes 

Agitate till thoroughly mingled; let stand a few days, 
then filter. Always remember that any eye-water must be 
crystal clear, and the filtering must be repeated if necessary. 
The lotion is to be diluted with a little very hot water and 
the eyes bathed with it three times daily, and compresses 
soaked in the solution are to be left on the eyes for ten min- 
utes after the bath. The eyes should be protected with a 
gauze veil when going into the open air, and bathed with 
hot water upon returning, before applying the compresses. 
Hot-water bathing is good for all eyes, and cold water 
should never be applied to weak or diseased ones. 

When weak and tired eyes resist all nursing and their use 
causes headache it is most unwise to neglect consulting a 
skilled oculist. A whole train of mysterious evils affecting 
the entire physical economy is often the consequence solely 
of eye-strain, which from over-taxing certain sets of nerves 
depletes these and sets up a counter-irritation in sympa- 
thetic nerve-centres quite remote from the originating evil. 
In women, acute troubles of the genital organs have fre- 
quently been caused by eye-strain, the removal of which has 



VARIOUS EYE TROUBLES. 403 

cured the affliction; in many cases even averting painful and 
dangerous operations. Many forms of partial and total 
blindness have resulted simply from neglect, the originating 
cause being in the majority of cases something which intel- 
ligent care could have relieved. 

Myopia could frequently be averted if the eyes were 
properly examined and cared for in youth. It is in the 
school days, in the " teens," that this trouble is most com- 
monly developed, " before growth is completed, and while 
the tunics of the eyes, like all other bodily structures, are 
comparatively lax and yielding." If the strain thrown upon 
the tunics of the eyes by undue and prolonged convergence 
be averted by the use of spectacles for studying, reading, 
and all w^ork requiring close focus, it is more than probable 
that when maturity is reached the glasses can be laid aside; 
and this protection and care will have developed a strong 
pair of normal eyes. 

Squinting is sometimes caused by childish tricks of imita- 
tion and face-making. When one eye only is affected it is 
sometimes remedied by blindfolding the sound eye for sev- 
eral hours daily. If the trouble is congenital, it should not 
be neglected, as it indicates an abnormal condition of the 
eyes which will increase with age, and may seriously impair 
the vision. 

When a cinder, dust, chafif, or any foreign particle enters 
the eye, the impulse to rub it must be restrained. If the 
eyelids be immediately closed, tears will often bring the of- 
fending particle out onto an eyelash; sometimes it can be 
drawn into the tear-duct and out through the nostrils, by 
vigorously blowing the nose, while holding the upper eyelid 
out from the eyeball by means of the lashes. Almost instan- 
taneous relief is afforded by inserting a flat linseed into the 
eye. Close the lids, and the seed, whose oily gluten the 
moisture of the eye will quickly soften, will slide impercep- 
tibly round the eyeball, and soon emerge at one corner 
bringing with it the painful intruder. This will prevent all 



404 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

injury to the eye or ensuing inflammation. It is an excel- 
lent precaution when travelling to carry a few of these seeds 
in one's pocket-book. 

Much needless alarm is felt over the appearance of black 
specks floating before the eyes. They are perfectly harm- 
less, normal, and exist in all eyes, but we notice them more 
when the eyes are fatigued. These vagrant wanderers are 
ijiiiscce Z'olif antes, fine filaments which carry upon them the 
remains of cells and the germs of others, and which float 
freely in the vitreous humor that fills the large, central 
cavity of the eye. Certain refractions of light cause them to 
cast shadows at times upon the retina. They are made more 
conspicuous by any condition which alters the density of 
the humor. 

The disease glaucoma, a rapid degeneration of the eye 
wdiich was formerly considered incurable, can be cured by 
operation if treated in time. A premonitory symptom is the 
failure of accommodation, and consequent necessity to in- 
crease the strength of the glasses at short intervals. It is 
the symptoms attending this disease which have caused the 
misapprehension concerning the hurtful effects of wearing 
glasses which magnify too strongly. When it is known 
that watch-makers and other artisans who work with a sin- 
gle magnifying glass of great power, are, as a class, singu- 
larly exempt from eye-troubles, it will be recognized that 
the prejudice has no foundation. 

\Mien glaucoma has run its course in destroying the 
sight, it is said that the removal of the eye may be prevented 
by treating it with one of the small Japanese hot-boxes. 
Cotton is placed over the eye and the liltle fire-box bound 
over it. This is on the principle which will in time, I think, 
be generally recognized, that the health of the eye and the 
normal condition of its aqueous humors is best maintained 
by warmth. 

In all ages the wise men and women who studied the 
woods and " herbs and things " have delved in Nature's 



DANGERS THAT MENACE THE STRENGTH OF THE EYE. 405 

storehouse for remedies to strengthen the eye and heal its 
diseases. In the '' Code of Health of the School of Saler- 
num," written in the early twilight of the Middle Ages and 
in poor Latin, but which quickly took its place beside the 
*' Aphorisms of Hippocrates," I find mention of many of the 
herbal remedies which are in use to-day. I cull from it the 
following quaint dictums concerning the eye: 

" Fennel, vervain, rose, celandine, and rue, 
Cure filmy eyes and give them sight anew. 
From each a potent eyewash may be made 
To strengthen them when sight begins to fade." 

THINGS HURTFUL TO THE SIGHT. 

" Much bathing, Venus, blust'ring winds and wine 
And wounds, or any serious blows, in fine, 
With lentils, pepper, mustard, also beans. 
Garlic and onions — by such hurtful means, 
With too much labor amid dust and smoke, 
Weeping, or watching fires, we thus invoke, 
With long exposure to the noonday sun. 
The direst wrongs that can to sight be done; 
But vigils are, by far, more noxious still 
Than any form of single-mentioned ill." 

Though somewhat involved, the meaning is clear, and it 
arraigns the same evils which menace eyes to-day, proving 
the inherent carelessness of men and women in the use of 
their most precious sense. The brilliant, blatant, dazzling 
civilization of our aggressive era has inflicted an additional 
peril in the floods of almost blinding light which electricity 
pours upon us in all public places. There should be pro- 
test, earnest and convincing, against this over-efTulgence 
which is an abuse of what is primarily a great convenience 
and comfort, but which under present practices and the in- 
fluence of rivalry is a steadily increasing evil. 

Much injury is also inflicted upon eyes by the utter 
thoughtlessness of women in choosing their lamp-shades. 



4o6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

These aggressively obtrusive things, which occupy so in- 
congruous and inappropriate a field of decoration, are too 
often marvels of millinery hideousness; and their iniquity 
is increased by the fact, that, necessarily because of their 
size, their color is chosen to match the scheme of the room 
decoration, and not at all with reference to the hue of the 
light which will in consequence flood the room. These bril- 
liant-colored shades — whether green, yellow, red, or pink — 
should be confined to hall and drawing-room, where people 
neither read, write, nor sew. If you have any regard for 
your eyes you will not use them by artificial light unless it 
is clear, steady, soft, and white. 

The eye is most sympathetic to the general nervous con- 
dition and to mental states. I have shown how the secre- 
tions of the skin change under temperamental conditions; 
and the secretions of the eye also are modified in quality 
and amount by the state of mind. Anger, grief, and Avorry 
cause the surface of the cornea to become dull and dry from 
the diminished secretions. The whole body is, of course, 
lowered in tone, but the eyes are 'first to show it, and when 
these conditions are chronic, they become dull and sunken, 
and unequal to any continued effort. I have already 
pointed out the effects of joy and all beneficent emotions, 
which beam from the eye first, and then irradiate the whole 
person. You see, no matter how artfully the tongue may 
dissemble, howsoever perfectly controlled be the emotions, 
it is almost impossible for the eye to dissemble. Hypocrisy, 
crookedness, all unworthy thoughts, inevitably betray 
themselves in the pellucid mirror of the eye. 

The continued exercise of the eye on fine work tends to 
its development and the preservation of its strength, pro- 
vided it is not abused by over-fatigue, or the strain of use 
under unfavorable conditions. The same rule applies to it 
that applies to the whole body: it must have sufficient ex- 
ercise to stimulate the normal metamorphosis of tissues, 
which in perfect health is a never-ceasing condition. 



INCREASED BY BENEFICIAL REST AND USE. 40f 

It has been proved that acuteness of vision is very much 
a matter of practice, and the mental attention given to the 
subject. The Indian's keenness of vision is due to the ex- 
ercise and training his eye receives, and none has a wider 
range of accommodation. Idleness of the eye is only less 
harmful than misuse. Simple rest, and change of occupa- 
tion so as to be much in the open air, will very often com- 
pletely restore eyes that are failing from continued close 
work. Some abnormal conditions of the eye are due en- 
tirely to vitiated air, and are rapidly restored in the open. 

The cultivated eye is as profoundly and pleasurably af- 
fected by harmony of color as the ear is by harmony of 
sounds; and brazen, intense colors inflict upon it the same 
pain that discordant sounds do upon the auditory nerve. 
This sensibility of the eye, though, is more a matter of 
culture than that of the ear. Persons who have no sense of 
time can seldom acquire it; but both the pleasures and the 
vision of the eye are largely increased by judicious training. 

The strongest and most dominating influences of life are 
received through the eye, and it is impossible to overrate 
the importance of cultivating a power of observation that 
shall critically discriminate between objects of beauty and 
loveliness and those which offend by violation of inherent 
laws of association and harmony. Nature makes no mis- 
takes, but men and women make a great many. 

To be endowed with a sense of beauty is a pure gain 
which brings no evil with it, and the proportion in which 
different people can see beauty in simple things is an in- 
fallible scale by which you can measure the degree of their 
culture and self-resource. 

Did it never occur to you that vhat we admire, that we 
are becoming by an inevitable law of cause and effect? It 
is only the crude, uncultured nature which goes stolidly 
through life unconscious of the beauty that often may be 
enjoyed by the mere lifting of an eye. Self-interest is so 
belittling that the eye is blind to all but personal things, 



4o8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

and thus cannot see the beauty always in Nature, in the 
natural landscape. Revery, fancy, imagination, and, best of 
all, large sympathy, which is so suggestive, weave associa- 
tions about natural objects and develop this sense of beauty; 
and those but half-live who know not the pleasures thus 
won to ornament and refine life. The more we cultivate this 
sensitiveness, the broader is the field of our enjoyment. 

The pleasures of memory, also, depend almost entirely 
upon the keenness with which the eye has been trained to 
observe, and, thereby, convey accurate impressions to that 
vast reference-bureau in the sensitive gray cells of the brain. 
There is such a difference in people in this respect that one 
will be said to have eyes on all sides of her head, while 
another, passing through the same scenes, can recall no 
more than if she suffered from acute myopia. Here again 
the dwarfing limitation of self-interest and self-conscious- 
ness, and the stimulating expansion of a lively concern in 
all that affects the welfare of humanity, are important fac- 
tors determining the amount of uplifting joy that shall enter 
into each life. 

" The aim of culture is to make the soul a musical instru- 
ment which may yield music either to itself or others, at 
any impulse from without; and the more elaborate the cul- 
ture, the richer and more composite the music." 



CHAPTER XII. 

THIS SO PONDEROUS FLESH AND THE OPPOSITE CONDITION. 

"Ladies ! (I hope there's none behind to hear;) 
I long to whisper something in your ear — 
A secret, which -does much my mind perplex." 

" For if she will, she will, you may depend on 't. 
And if she won't, she won't; so there's an end on 't." 

" Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint." 
The moment a woman begins to be conscious of the weight 
of her flesh, that very moment she must face the questions: 
Shall I allow this encroaching master to overcome me? 
Am I not strong enough to assert my freedom of will? 

It means a battle a routrance betwixt the ego and the 
flesh. And the woman who zvills shall win every time. " A 
strong purpose creates its own means of accomplishment." 
It is a truism that superfluous flesh enervates; and all ex- 
perience proves that what was true in Rousseau's time is 
still the rule: ''The weaker the body the more it com- 
mands; the stronger it is, the more it obeys." And the 
price of freedom for woman is to exercise such self-restraint 
in the ordering of her life as shall keep her mistress of her 
own small kingdom. 

Every additional pound of flesh beyond that required to 
round out the form to artistic lines and harmonic propor- 
tions is a menace to woman's beauty and health and use- 
fulness, and, consequently, to her happiness. She who is 
wise, and has any comprehension of the joy of an active 

409 



4IO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

life, will never let her flesh dominate her. That beauty and 
an excess of adipose tissue are incompatible is one of the 
fundamental theories of what constitutes true physical 
beauty, and ranks next to the common basis of health, with 
which it goes hand in hand. 

But obesity is not merely a beauty-destroyer. There is 
a stronger charge yet to make against this most uncom- 
fortable condition. Even roly-poly plumpness takes all the 
youth out of a woman's face and step; and every ten 
pounds added beyond plumpness ages her. It is only in 
recent years, comparatively, that corpulency has been 
recognized for what it is, a disease; and that it is rapidly 
increasing is evident to all who travel much or who live in 
large cities or towns. It is one of the penalties which frail, 
weak-willed humanity has contrived to evolve out of the 
privileges of our high civilization. " Riches and poverty 
alike war against health." 

While over-indulgence in the good things of life — the 
rich fat-producing foods which are so unwisely and so lav- 
ishly supplied on our generous American tables — is a chief 
producing cause in the accretion of this so ponderous flesh, 
it is ably aided and abetted by indolence of mind and 
body. Women who are alertly active, with many interests 
crowding their lives, which necessitates' sufficient exercise 
to maintain health, can without harm enjoy all the good 
things of an elaborate cuisine. They are simply supplying 
the waste of a nervous temperament which makes large de- 
mands. 

The phlegmatic temperament, however, which takes life 
easily, is oftener than not prone to self-indulgence, and 
therefore peculiarly exposed to be a victim of over-assimila- 
tion and mal-assimilation of food. If allowed to run its 
course the disease is one of constant encroachment, and may 
bring in its train most painful complications. 

Could the woman who has let this monster of flesh over- 
master her by such insidious degrees that she cannot re- 



WHAT THE OBESE WOMAN MISSES. 4II 

member the simple joy of lightness of foot, but for a 
moment exchange her corporal prison for the litheness and 
freedom of the alert Diana, who chases balls over the golf 
links, she would move heaven and earth and accept any 
discipline rather than submit to such death in life, as her 
imprisonment actually is. 

From the first trying consciousness of weakness and 
weight, obesity imposes on its victim daily-increasing, petty 
pin-pricks of unnamable discomfort, and transforms the 
simplest pleasures into painful exertion. Wherever the fat 
woman finds herself in a crowd — and where can she avoid 
it in the metropolis? — she is in effect an intruder. For, she 
occupies twice the space to which she is entitled, and in- 
flicts upon her companions, through every one of her 
excessive pounds, just so much additional fatigue and dis- 
comfort. 

Too often, this so redundant flesh" seems to serve as a 
bullet-proof armor, repelling all consciousness of the rights 
of others. The woman who makes a god of her stomach 
is incorrigible, and I fear no word of mine will avail to in- 
duce her to reform. She is the innately selfish woman who 
makes her very existence an ofTense. 

All defects are in the nature of ugliness, but certain ones 
are more degrading than others; and of these obesity, 
which is a deformity, is signally ignoble, for it gives un- 
seemly prominence to the grossest part of the body, and 
pampers flesh at the expense of the soul and mind. Living 
to eat is debasing life to its lowest terms, on a plane with 
mere animal life; and the man or woman who does this 
often fails to evince even the instinct and discretion with 
which the higher order of beasts control their appetites. 

The French recognize two categories of the gourmand: 
the glutton and the epicure. Mentally, there is little to 
choose between the two, as both make gods of the flesh; 
but the former is the more repulsive, as reminding us of 
the only beast which will eat till it cannot waddle. The 



412 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

epicure degrades his soul more than his body, for often his 
daintiness protects the latter from the utterly disfiguring 
encroachments of the flesh. 

Beauty, grace, elegance, health, and often fortune are 
the award for self-restraint in the matter of eating. A 
moderate and simple diet, conforming to the needs of the 
physique and individual tastes, which usually are but pro- 
nounced manifestations of the needs, is a rule of universal 
application for the promotion of these benefits, which most 
people long to enjoy. 

There are none who will not find it wise to avoid dainties 
and to proportion their food by the amount of exercise 
taken. The indulgence in creams, ices, cakes, and pastries 
between meals, washed down by wines and other drinks, 
is most provocative of the laying on of fatty tissues. ^leals 
should be at regular hours; and food taken only when appe- 
tite gives the warning, benefits the body without supplying 
a surfeit, unless the meal be indiscreetly turned into a gorge. 

They have a myth in France concerning " Schools of 
Beauty " in America, which are supposed to be quite the 
rule here. One writer seriously enters into particulars and 
states that the cult is strictly systematized and infallible ; 
and that in ten weeks' time, for the sum of one hundred 
dollars, beauties are turned out galore ! See what it is to 
have a national reputation for beauty ! 

The same authority (?) sagely advises us that in view of 
these schools and their object, we should begin our studies 
in them by reforming our aliment. We learn, in this bril- 
liant light by which others see us, that the constant con- 
sumption of " candy '" is a national vice ; and that both men 
and women indulge themselves without restraint in this 
deleterious dainty. ''' It is quite common," says this critic, 
whom I literally translate, " to meet gentlemen of energetic 
mien, bearded like sappers, with barley sugar between their 
lips instead of cigars. They suck the candy as gravely as 
our men puf¥ tobacco." 



INDUCING-CAUSES OF OBESITY. 413 

Oh, this lime-Hght held by the stranger '' looker-on " ! 
what an illumination it is upon our modes and customs ! 
Really, it is delightfully funny, and reminds one forcibly of 
the Spanish opinions about the war last summer. 

Nearer the truth, however, is the enumeration of our other 
indiscretions : the washing the " candy " down with iced- 
water ; the extravagant fondness for ices of all sorts ; the 
fresh, hot breads and boiling-hot pies, — all of which together 
cause the national disease, dyspepsia, as also premature gray 
hair. We are gravely assured that '' They [the Ameri- 
cans] have perfectly white hair before they are thirty years 
old." 

Albeit exaggerated to a ludicrous degree, there is yet a 
kernel of truth to be found underlying the grossest exag- 
gerations; and shall we not reform the errors which are the 
basis for these of our amusing French critic ? They certainly 
enumerate toothsome goodies which beguile many women 
into grave indiscretions and are the 'first articles tabooed 
in any reduction diet. 

Like every other disorder of the human economy, it is 
easier to avert obesity than to cure it. Beware of anti-fat 
patent nostrums, which are recklessly — and expensively — 
advertised to restore symmetry and health in a miraculously 
short time. They are most of them compounded, with utter 
recklessness as to after results, upon a basis of iodine, which 
has a wonderful aiftnity for all grease and possesses the prop- 
erty of dissolving the fatty tissues. The continued use of 
this powerful medicine may produce grave complications. 

For the majority of cases it is not medicine that is needed 
in this condition but an entire reform of habits, bringing the 
daily regimen into conformity with hygienic laws. The con- 
dition would never have existed if they had not been 
violated ; its only permanent and safe relief is in obeying 
them. Self-denial in the kind and amount of food eaten is 
absolutely necessary, and exercise also ; especially in the 
open air, and of a nature to encourage and promote the 



414 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

fullest use of the lungs ; for nothing else so encourages the 
transformation of tissues. Therefore, walking, bicycling, 
and swimming are excellent methods of working off super- 
fluous fat and leaving the flesh firm and elastic. A condition 
exactly opposite to that which results from taking any of the 
suddenly depleting nostrums, which leave the flesh soft and 
flabby with unsightly folds and wrinkles about the neck, 
throat, and face. 

Unfortunately, as Blaikie, keenly analytic from effect to 
cause, sharply remarks : " The energy and will-power to 
do this work, fleshy people often lack." We have all, alas ! 
known women who say to their doctors in substance : " I'll 
do anything else, but don't tell me to give up eating. I can't 
starve to death, and I can't live without chocolate creams ! " 
A fact ! 

O, woman, woman ! let me entreat you to fix your regard 
on something more enduring, something more elevating 
to the race. The health of women and the purity and eleva- 
tion of their tastes, desires, and ambitions set the standard 
for the race. Every self-indulgent, weak-willed woman in- 
jures not herself alone, but all with whom she comes in con- 
tact. Her salvation Hes first, in rousing her pride; and 
next in broadening her vision to the infinite possibilities 
of life ; which she has self-limited to the narrow horizon of 
" What shah I eat ? " " What shall I wear ? " and " Where 
shall I sit or drive ? " 

This maxim applied to daily life will restore more lost 
waist-lines to litheness and beauty than all the nostrums 
ever vended, and the fat thus driven away will never re- 
turn : 

" Let me not yield to sloth, but let me train myself to brave, 
healthy work for God and man." 

In no other morbid physical condition is tight clothing 
more of a menace than when adipose tissue begins to assert 
its mastery. At alb times it "irritates the nerves, increases 



OBESITY CONSIDERED AS A DISEASE. 415 

self-consciousness, and consequent awkwardness " ; but 
when it undertakes to hide fat by compressing it, the opera- 
tion is both disfiguring and dangerous. The tightening of 
the corset not only increases the undue prominence of the 
distended abdomen, but intensifies and accelerates the con- 
ditions which cause it. When there is an oversupply of 
fatty atoms in the blood. Nature is much perplexed in find- 
ing storage for them, and wherever the circulation is weak- 
est, or rendered sluggish by compression, there she deposits 
it in the greatest quantity. Compression around the waist 
prevents the natural exercise of the hip and abdominal mus- 
cles, and, therefore, checks the capillary circulation; while 
indolence encourages an entire relaxation of the muscles 
over the abdomen, which are, in consequence, distended ; 
and these conditions invite the deposit of fat. 

These results are unsightly and deforming; but graver 
are those which are involved in the consequent accretion of 
fat above the waist, where it crowds upon the lungs 
and heart, and impedes the normal action of these 
vital organs. In this condition, fatty degeneration of 
the tissues is always threatened; and, of course, respira- 
tion and heart action are so seriously affected that great suf- 
fering ensues. The aesthetic effect of this horrible constric- 
tion of the form will be considered in another chapter. 

Concerning other producing or favoring causes of obesity, 
Dr. John Hartley says : '' I beHeve the fat, flabby, paunchy 
woman, with feeble, irritable heart and ' inadequate ' kid- 
neys, is usually the victim of rebreathed air." A close room 
will infallibly give some persons abdominal distention within 
half an hour. Dr. Hartley considers contaminated air an 
intensely powerful nerve-poison, and believes it to be a 
greater source of the ills attributed to " hurry and brain- 
fag "- than work. As a poison to the nerves it must, of 
course, increase any abnormal condition, because unfitting 
the nerves for control of involuntary actions, and thus mal- 
nutrition and mal-assimilation are both aggravated ; and 



4l6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

the same cause makes the thin woman become thinner and 
the fat woman wax heavier. 

Adipose is a solid tissue, not suppHed with a circulatory 
system which rebuilds and eliminates throughout its struc- 
ture. It has to be worked off by combustion which absorbs 
it, atom by atom, just as it was laid on. The logical regimen 
for obesity, therefore, is so to change the diet as to cease 
taking on more fat, and to work off superfluous tissue by 
exercise. 

When obesity has become chronic, only your physician 
can diagnose the case and recognize what morbid condi- 
tions, if any, may have superinduced the disease. Even when 
originating in over-assimilation encouraged by indolence, it 
is very apt to become complicated by impaired function of 
the heart, rheumatism, gout, diabetes, and other kidney 
affections. To expect that the same treatment will suffice 
for all cases is manifestly absurd. The physician alone can 
decide this question, for there are persons who could not 
submit to any reducing process without being exposed to 
other grave disorders. 

Much suffering and a wearing ordeal can be averted if 
woman's pride takes alarm upon the first indication of the 
abdomen's assuming a disagreeable prominence. This is 
usually accompanied by a sensation of uncomfortable full- 
ness after eating, with shortness of breath, a general stuffi- 
ness, and a consciousness of weakness and weight combined 
that makes activity an effort. This may be made the critical, 
determining moment when the ego shall conquer the flesh. 
Say not that will is " over-rul'd by fate." 

" Necessity or chance 
Approach not me, and what / ivill is fate." 

Want of exercise being the principal producing cause of 
obesity, sedentary occupations — or, too often, the lack of 
any — must give place to activity; out-of-door exercise 
when possible, and a system of physical movements night 



ANTI-OBESITY REGIMEN. 417 

and morning. All dainties and sweets and between-meal 
tid-bits must be relinquished; bread should be eaten very 
sparingly, and only of the coarse kinds, — gluten, whole- 
wheat, and graham. No white bread should be touched un- 
less cut very thin and toasted brown, so it is crisped 
through. Sea-biscuit and Health-Food wafers complete 
the list of grain food in which it is safe to indulge. This 
means, of course, that all the breakfast cereals with their 
cream and sugar must be dropped from the menu, and their 
place taken with fruit, fresh, when possible. Bananas, 
peaches, melons, prunes, and grapes are the only fruits 
which must be black-balled; and apples, oranges or shad- 
docks, currants, plums, and sour cherries can be eaten 
freely. These with a fig or two, dates, and nuts and raisins 
in moderation, must take the place of puddings and pastries 
for desserts. 

The only meats that are under the ban are pork and veal, 
and the former is unfit to be eaten at any time excepting by 
those engaged in severe manual labor. Most fish are al- 
lowed; but salmon, sardines, mackerel, and eels are too rich 
and fat-producing, hence on the black-list of beauty- 
destroyers. It might be an excellent plan to make a list of 
such articles, as it would help to strengthen weak and 
wavering resolutions to recognize them for what they are. 
All forms of Italian pastes are on the Mst, and most root 
vegetables, as well as beans, peas, and corn. 

An idiosyncrasy of the disease is that most of its victims 
believe themselves to be small eaters, and cannot under- 
stand their own responsibility for the evil. But the real 
fact is that the kind of food eaten is much more important 
than the quantity. The carbonaceous foods, the large family 
of starches and sweets and fats, must be admitted to the diet 
with the gingerly care that governs the taking of a m-cdic- 
inal poison. 

It is a mistake to cut ofif all fat, as some is needed to facili- 
tate digestion, and the same rule applies to liquids. The fat 



41 S THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

is best taken in the form of oil in salad-dressing, and a small 
portion of butter is permitted. All the succulent green 
vegetables can be eaten in moderation, especially those con- 
taining alkaline salts, as sorrel, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, 
and water-cress. Salads are excellent for both luncheon 
and dinner, but the only soup permitted is a ven.- small por- 
tion of clear consomme. 

Often, the severest self-denial is necessary with regard to 
liquids, for it is usually found that those afflicted with 
obesity have a consuming thirst, and drink abundantly dur- 
ing their meals. During the first week or tsvo of the diet, a 
small quantity of drink is allowed, — as a glass of white wine 
diluted with A'ichy, — ^but after that, except weak tea or cof- 
fee for breakfast, all drink must be taken before and after 
meals, and hot water is preferable to cold. Chocolate, old 
wines and sweet ones, and also beer must be placed on the 
black-list. Black coffee is permitted, because it is suffi- 
ciently stimulating and nourishing to allay the appetite and 
to encourage activity, and caffeine is nitrogenous and 
nourishes the muscular tissues only. If distasteful without, 
it may be sweetened, but it is better to use saccharine than 
sugar. 

A wine-glassful of sassafras tea, if taken three times daily, 
is beneficial, as it satisfies the craving for food, and it will 
thus diminish the appetite for forbidden dainties. Some 
reduction methods advise the taking — a half-hour before 
meals — of a bit of bicarbonate of soda the size of a pea dis- 
solved in a half-glass of hot water. This may do for three 
or four successive days, but should be interrupted by a like 
interv'al. Better for continual use, — and especially indi- 
cated in a gouty or rheumatic habit, — or to alternate with 
the soda, is a tablespoonful of pure lime-juice in as much 
water, which may be taken with great advantage before 
ever\- meal. Almost immediate results in loss of weight are 
seen when all drink during meals is discontinued. 

The diet prescribed by the late Dr. Dujardin-Beaumetz 



DUJARDIN-BEA.UMETZ REDUCTION SYSTEM, 419 

for the reduction of obesity is quite similar to the celebrated 
Banting system, the principal difference being that sherry 
and claret are allowed in the latter, and the mqat allowance 
is more generous. The exclusion of fat in both methods 
is considered an error. This is the Dujardin-Beaumetz pre- 
scription : 

REDUCTION REGIME. 
Breakfast. 

Cold meat 50 grammes 

Bread 25 grammes 

Weak tea, without sugar 200 grammes 

Luncheon. 

Bread 50 grammes 

Meat or ragout 100 grammes 

Or two eggs. 

Green vegetables 100 grammes 

Cheese 15 grammes 

Fruit, at discretion. 

Dinner, at seven o'clock, is substantially the same as 
luncheon, except that fifty grammes of salad are substituted 
for the same amount of cooked vegetables. Frequent em- 
ployment of various purgatives accompanies this diet. Ex- 
ercise according to the strength of the patient, and mas- 
sage complete the regimen. 

It is, of course, imperatively necessary to prevent con- 
stipation; but exercise and the use of aperient fruits should 
regulate this naturally and healthfully. When something 
more is needed, aperient waters should be drunk, and the 
fig and senna paste (See index for formula) eaten before 
resorting to medicinal purgatives, whose after-effects are in- 
variably pernicious. 

The last word on the subject of reduction diet is not 
uttered without reference to Dr. Weir Mitchell's advocacy 
of skimmed milk, which he avers, if used for the entire or 
principal food, will safely effect a reduction of a half-pound 
of superfluous fat daily. If strength require, the milk is 



420 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

occasionally supplemented with meat or oyster broth, and 
Swedish movements and massage are a part of the treat- 
ment. Women have cheerfully submitted to living on 
boiled milk for from three to five months, and come out of 
the ordeal radiant with the consciousness of having re- 
gained all the grace and beauty of youthful, svelte figures. 

Very many French systems of reduction include massage 
with some preparation of iodine. Iodine soap is m^uch used 
for the purpose, being rubbed thoroughly into the skin till 
entirely absorbed. This is also used for the bath, and in 
connection with a weak alcoholic solution of hydriodate of 
potassium, massage with which follows the bath. It is 
claimed that this use of iodine is absolutely harmless, and 
may be continued for months without disturbing the diges- 
tive organs or the function of the skin. Observe especially 
that the medicament, soap or solution, should be rubbed 
under the arms and across the lower part of the abdomen, 
because these places are the most favorable for its absorp- 
tion. If the legs are very fat rub the soap under the knees. 
One direction confines the friction to ten minutes' rubbing 
of these parts ; but others direct the massaging of the whole 
body for a half-hour, giving most attention directly to the 
parts where the adipose layers are thickest. Should the 
skin resent the daily massage, different parts may be se- 
lected to rub on alternate days. 

For that trying condition when the abdomen is especially 
distended, an excellent drink is made from an infusion of 
brooklime, a sort of speedwell, the veronica beccabtmga. 
The herb must be thoroughly washed, then tossed into boil- 
ing water and boiled for a half-hour. It is poured, boiling 
hot, over a few sticks of liquorice-wood, — if the taste is 
liked. Three of four glasses of the brooklime-water are 
drunk, cold, every day, and may be diluted with wine if pre- 
ferred. Chickweed-water prepared in a similar way is also 
a time-honored remedy for obesity. Of the freshly gath- 
ered, white-blossomed plant take six handfuls for every 



FRENCH PREVENTIVE REGIMEN. 42I 

quart of water; boil three quarters of an hour; then pour 
over Hquorice-wood and the thinly peeled skin of a lemon. 

An old and very clever physician in Paris regularly pre- 
scribes for his charming clients a distinctive regimen for 
every season of the year; with the result that they keep 
their graceful figures and exquisite complexions in perfect 
condition all the time. During what is called the " medical 
spring," from the last of January to the last of April, the 
daily quantity of food is diminished; and at all times it is 
limited to a certain number of ounces — according to the 
person and habits of life — of meat, eggs, milk, green vege- 
tables, and fresh or dried fruits. A great many oranges and 
apples are eaten and only red wine drunk. During the 
" medical spring," tea, coffee, and every possible form of 
alcohol are black-balled; and from the ist of April to the 
1st of November, every kind of fish disappears from the 
table. Cabbage, beets, turnips, and asparagus are allowed 
only at infrequent intervals. The results of the wise old 
doctor's care are so admirable and so satisfactory that he is 
pronounced a veritable benefactor of humanity. 

Baths are an important part of all anti-obesity treatment, 
and should be taken, at least, once daily, and under some 
circumstances twice. Turkish baths — once a week — are 
specially indicated, because the abundant perspiration in- 
duced carries ofif more rapidly than any other means the 
waste products of the body, and thus favors the combus- 
tion of the fat. For further directions about baths see the 
chapter on that subject. The emollient baths are, of course, 
not indicated in obesity; but the aromatic and astringent 
ones will be tonicizing to the skin, and more and more as 
the fat disappears is it necessary to stimulate the contractile 
power of the distended skin, otherwise disfiguring folds, 
creases, and wrinkles wih be left. The use of alum in the 
bath-water is also effective. 

This looseness of skin is especially to be guarded against 
in the care of the face, which must be carefully massaged, 



422 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

according to the directions already given, with astringent 
creams and lotions. In addition, the cheeks must be gently 
manipulated by a rotary motion between the thumb and 
first and second fingers, placing the thumb inside the cheek. 
This makes firm muscle and w^ears off fat. The hot baths, 
night and morning, are excellent, and their value will be 
increased if tincture of benzoin or aromatic vinegar be 
added to the water. The following astringent cream is 
especially adapted to this condition: 

WRINKLE ERADICATOR. 

Mutton tallow i pound 

Glycerine 5 ounces 

Tincture of benzoin 2 drachms 

Spirits of camphor i drachm 

Powdered alum y^ drachm 

Best Russian isinglass. , i drachm 

Orange-flower water 2 ounces 

Try out the tallow in a saucepan; it w411 give about a 
cupful of fat. There should be equal quantities of it and 
the glycerine; stir these two together and add the alum. 
Dissolve the isinglass in the orange-flower water at gentle 
heat, and beat into the other mixture while that is still 
warm; add the tinctures last of all, pouring in slowly with 
constant stirring. 

One formula for taking iodine internally I will give, but 
with the caution, that, though pronounced perfectly harm- 
less, it is a dangerous risk to take such a medicine without 
first consulting your physician who understands your con- 
stitution : 

IODINE FOR ANTI-FAT. 

Tincture of iodme 30 minims 

Iodide of potassium 60 grains 

Distilled water 7 ounces 

Aniseed water 170 minims 

The dose is ^ teaspoonful in a little water three times 
daily. 



TREATMENT TO PREVENT AND ERADICATE WRINKLES. 423 

Much safer than any medicine internally, except such 
mild stimulants of the digestive organs as have been sug- 
gested, is the physical exercise which under all circum- 
stances must form the most important part of the obesity 
cure. Swedish-movement specialists go so far as to assume 
a rather arrogant and egotistical attitude on the subject, as 
who shall say, '' Ours is the only way " ; and yet hedge their 
directions about with so many cautions as are, under the 
circumstances, peculiarly unfortunate ; because the class of 
persons whom it is sought to benefit require more than the 
average encouragement, and are especially prone to take 
fright easily. In an unfortunate majority of cases, their 
mental and moral stamina is as much below the average as 
their physical. 

Except in cases of organic heart trouble — and this must 
not be confounded with weak action, because crowded by 
fatty deposits, or a distended stomach — and pelvic weak- 
ness, physical exercise should be persevered in even though 
it causes some discomfort. No attempt is made to prove 
that the road to cure is on a bed of roses. It involves ex- 
ertion to the point of real, wholesome fatigue, and con- 
tinual self-discipline ; and these be things that the obese 
woman has usually foresworn, if, indeed, she and they have 
not always been strangers. 

A gradual change should be the aim, and not a sudden 
one, as that would be too great a shock to the system. But 
within a week a marvellous reduction can be apparently 
produced by an exercise of the will in controlling the ab- 
dominal muscles and compeUing them to hold that organ 
as tautly as possible. To aid this, the distention of the 
digestive viscera can be relieved quickly by a few doses of 
soda, together with the rotating exercises of the trunk and 
the liver-squeezing movements which are directed to over- 
come a constipated habit (See Chapter on Physical Cul- 
ture). 

In order to control these relaxed muscles and nerves it is 



4^4 THE WOMAN" EEAVTIFVL. 

necessary to become acquainted with them and learn to 
contract and expand them at will. It may not be easy at 
first to do this; but five-minutes' practice, n:^:: ani ri-om- 
ing, lying on your back in bed, will soon teach the torpid 
muscles that the}' have a mistress. There is no other agent 
in the world but mind and wiU-power : ::i: :an do this; 
medicines, massage, and movements are equally powerless. 
But by concentrating your wiU upon the action you can soon 
control them as completely as you do your breathing. After 
you can, at will, expand and contract them, — don't give any 
assistance with the hands. — move them from side to side, 
swa\-ing the abdir.rii. ari up a::i 1:. n: arl as strength 
and elasticity- are gained, exercise all the muscles inside and 
outside of the hips and thighs, and rotate those of the abdo- 
ner. :r:::: ri?ht to left. This will stimulate the ztz- 
:5:t ::: :: : euents of the intestirtes. and give speedy re'ie: 

? ui : his. control can be acquired over the nttiscles 

of the 5:: 1 ■ expanding and contracting the lower-rib 

regicn v. itli tite ititiscular movement of breathing, but with- 
out taking in any breath. " One is astirished to learn the 
number of muscles i: h.efe soft parts, of the existence of 
which we are physicahy almost unconscious, through dis- 
use and neglect. One by one new ones will appear to sur- 
prise us, and the discovery cf :t:r ahhJty to move and to 
actually control them will ^h. e a sense of Hghtness, self- 
confidence, and will-power, .h ::h will greatly lessen, and 
eventually overcome, that heav^-, torpid, bloatel. and 'all- 
gone ' feeling ever present with some women." 

The fleshy woman must leam to sit and stand correctly, — 
see Chapter on Physical Cultiu-e, — ^and in doing this she will 
gain valuable control over her waist and abdominal muscles, 
and take the first step in preventing the disfiguring deposit 
:f fat i.'z :::- :he waist and hips. The relaxed position of 
"ler.f irr i: the waist when sitting, which makes the f^srt:re 
:ah ht a heap, is one of the most favoring causes for these 



PHYSICAL EXERCISE FOR REDUCING FLESH. 425 

dreaded figure-destroying deposits. From the moment you 
hold these muscles in the natural position, which is re- 
strained, there is less space for these adipose atoms and 
their distribution will be more equal. In this way, within 
a week even, before the weight is perceptibly reduced the 
figure may be vastly im.proved. 

Breathing exercises must alternate with all movements, 
and should precede them (See Chapter on Correct Breath- 
ing). Raise the arms straight above the head, palms to- 
gether; take a deep inspiration, rising at the same moment 
upon the toes and take five or six steps across the room ; 
expel the breath as the arms are dropped and come down 
upon the heels at the same moment. Repeat eight to ten 
times. 

Follow this with deep breathing, then go through the 
" walking-beam," or '' liver-squeezer," movement with 
Indian clubs (Read the Chapter on Physical Culture for 
fuller directions, and see illustrations of some of these move- 
ments). This is excellent not only for pulling the flesh ofif 
the hips but also of¥ the shoulder-blades. Let the head 
movement come next; hold it erect and twist it as far as 
possible to the left; back to normal position; then to the 
right ; normal ; to the left ; repeat ten times. 

Arms extended at sides, holding Indian clubs ; circle 
them in the shoulder sockets, swinging forward, upward, 
and backward, each arm alternately ten times; reverse the 
motion, and repeat. This will pull ofif superfluous tissue 
on shoulders and bust, and restore firmness to the latter. 

The leg-raising exercises, stretched prone upon the floor, 
with arms extended above the head and grasping some fixed 
object, as a bed leg, should alternate with raising the body 
to a sitting posture without assistance from the arms or 
hands, which must be extended close by the sides, hands 
on the thighs. If the toes can be thrust under some fixed 
object all the better. When the legs can be raised perpen- 
dicularly, twenty times in succession, the superfluous flesh 



426 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

will be rapidly pulled off the abdominal muscles (See illus- 
tration in Chapter on Physical Culture). Both these move-, 
ments stimulate the digestive organs ; and the latter affects 
the liver, back, and shoulders. If too fatiguing, at first, to 
take both of these movements, one can be practiced in the 
morning and the other at night, or they can be separated in 
the series of movements. 

The rotating movement is also very important and can 
be practiced in two ways : sitting astride a chair with the 
arms akimbo ; and standing with arms extended and de- 
composed. The hips must be held firm and the body 
twisted as far as possible to right and to left. Still another 
rotating movement is, in the second position, to hold the feet 
only firm and twist the whole body. Other valuable exer- 
cises are the sidewise bending of the body; the knee exer- 
cise, doubling it up close to the body, while balancing on 
one foot ; and the back-flexions with upward extended arms, 
bringing them forward and down to the toes without bend- 
ing the knees. This last, however, cannot be perfectly exe- 
cuted till the abdomen is greatly reduced. It is an admi- 
rable movement to keep the waist-muscles trim and flexible, 
and gives elasticity to the whole body. 

One more exercise which will specially facilitate this is 
to place the tips of the fingers on the chest and bend the 
right knee forward, which naturally thrusts the left hip 
upward and back a little. This will be recognized as an 
inelegant and slouching attitude which is unfortunately com- 
mon. Xow, reverse the position, left knee forward-bend, 
right hip backward-thrust ; and repeat, slowly and rather 
exaggeratedly, till you can do it smoothly. Then gradually 
accelerate it. \Mien you can execute this '' hip-roll " very 
fast, it is an excellent digestion regulator, assists in the ex- 
pulsion of noxious gases, and is beneficial to all of sedentary 
habits. 

All movements but this last — the " hip-roll " — must be 
done slowly and repeated to the point of slight fatigue; and 



IMPORTANCE OF OUT-OF-DOOR EXERCISE. 427 

when the beating of the heart is uncomfortably accelerated 
or the breath grows short, there should be a slight pause for 
rest. 

There pre many theories and methods for the cure of 
obesity, and all can point to some success in treatment; 
but when any of them denounce walking, because they can 
claim no proprietary right in its prescription and fail to 
appreciate its advantage, they disclose a fatally weak spot 
and the cause of their many failures. 

A most important fact is that no indoor exercise can by 
any possibility approach in benefit or take the place of that 
which compels activity in the open air. All that has here- 
tofore been said upon the importance of fresh air, and the 
revivifying influences of out-of-door life, applies with added 
force to the abnormal conditions causing obesity. The 
mind needs stimulation as much as the physical functions; 
and no mechanical substitute can approach the beneficent 
influence of Nature upon spirit and disposition, temper and 
judgment. " When we refuse the gladness that Nature 
offers us, we dismiss a large share of the happiness God in- 
tended for us." 

Don't beguile yourself for a moment with the pleasing 
fancy that driving takes the place of walking. It affords 
no stimulus to the inertia of a languid mind, which is re- 
leased from its bondage to the flesh only through physical 
exertion. 

The victims of too much driving must, of course, begin 
by taking only a short walk ; but, from the first, there must 
be no sauntering. Every step taken draggingly, with body 
held as a dead weight and abdomen thrust out, is a weari- 
ness to the flesh and defeats the entire purpose of the walk. 
The body must be carried erect, and can then be swung al- 
most imperceptibly from one leg to the other with a free step 
as long as the natural reach. This kind of walking is ex- 
hilarating and produces only a healthy fatigue which en- 
courages restful sleep. The more one walks in this way the 



428 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

longer one can walk, and obesity will lose all its terrors for 
a woman who has learned how to enjoy a daily five-mile, 
walk. 

In some of the Swedish-movement courses of treatment 
for reduction, bicycle-pedaling is the exercise commended 
for pulling the flesh off the hips. A five-mile stint, exe- 
cuted on a fixed wheel, in one's room, with open windows, 
is the prescription; and it is followed by exercises with 
pulleys fastened to the wall. There are various movements 
with these, influencing the whole body according to special 
requirements, but those for reducing the bust are simple: 
stand with your back to the pulley and, grasping the han- 
dles, let the weights pull your arms out and back as far as 
they will go ; then pull them down over your head, and 
strike out as if delivering a blow. It is claimed that three 
weeks of this exercise will reduce the bust to half its size 
and expand the chest two inches. 

If all this seems a formidable ordeal to the woman whom 
obesity has claimed as its prey, remember that when adipose 
tissue is made so fast it is at the expense of brain, muscle, 
and bone, which wait vainly for nutrition, and grow con- 
stantly weaker while the cormorant fat accumulates. The 
more promptly the disease is arrested the quicker the cure. 
Recognize the evil for what it is ; as something which if 
not combated must daily become a greater menace to 
healthful activity and enjoyment, and believe that nothing 
else in life is quite so well worth having as perfect health. 

In the bicycle both the fleshy woman and her thin sister 
have an invaluable aid to health, if its use is not abused. 
On this subject I have no reason to change the opinion ex- 
pressed three years ago ; hence, cannot do better than quote 
it here : " This wonderful health-giving exercise has taken 
woman out of herself, broadened her opinions and experi- 
ences at the same time that it was developing her chest and 
lungs and muscles^ and brought into her life a new element, 
— one which is a constant source of fresh interests and 



THE ALL-AROUND BENEFITS OF CYCLING. 429 

enjoyments, bringing her into closer relations and sympathy 
with her fellow creatures, both men and women, diverting 
her tired or perplexed brain, and giving her in largest, most 
generous measure, that best of all tonics, fresh air. Under 
these beneficent influences, what wonder that she finds her 
horizon of interest growing larger every day, and the steady 
gain in health and strength opening such possibilities to 
her wider vision that she feels herself recreated and borne 
on the wings of the wind, as it were, into a new world. 

" The honest enjoyment of the blessed air and sunshine 
which it affords would in itself be sufficient recompense for 
learning to ride the wheel; but its benefits do not stop here, 
being so far-reaching as, in some cases, to utterly change 
the current of life and thought. It is impossible longer to 
consider cycling as a luxury; it has proved itself to be a 
democratic leveler of people and classes, at the same time 
that it has itself been raised from a mere sport to a vehicle 
of such utility, convenience, comfort, and enjoyment that 
it must be reckoned with as one of the most important fac- 
tors in the civilization of the present decade." 

It is an indisputable fact that no other exercise has ever 
done for women of all ages what the wonderful and fasci- 
nating " safety " has accomplished. That what should and 
can be so precious a boon is perverted into an evil none 
will attempt to deny. But man can point to no advantage 
which cannot be by some natures thus turned from the royal 
road. The twist is in the ill-balanced human microcosm 
which has never trained itself or been trained to control an 
impulse. 

Wheeling is not an exercise which should take the place 
of all others, nor absorb all time to the exclusion of every 
other interest. The moment speed is made the end 
and aim, that moment its advantages are imperilled. And 
*' stints " of distance are equally perilous. It is these things 
which produce the " bicycle face," the enlarged ankles and 
feet, and the broadened hands. But besides these disfigur- 



430 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ing effects, the physical powers are overtaxed, and the 
nervous strain or intensity of purpose, bent to one utterly, 
insignificant goal, shitts out entirely all uplifting mental 
influences. 

The well-poised, self-controlled woman, bent upon the 
symmetrical development of mind and body, will divide her 
bicycle exercise with that of walking or golfing, and will 
allow neither one to exclude the other. On one important 
phase of wheeling I must quote again: " The grave fears 
at first felt by many physicians as to the danger of the ex- 
ercise for women who were suffering from organic weak- 
nesses or displacements in the pelvic region have been most 
gratifyingly dissipated. Xot only has no harm resulted, but, 
on the contrary, relaxed muscles have been strengthened to 
do the work they have long shirked, and many a chronic 
invalid who has had the courage to try the wheel as a last 
resort has ridden into such health and happiness as she had 
long since given up all hope of enjoying. One danger there 
is, but it is alike for men and women: because of the in- 
creased labor thrown upon the heart by the immense im- 
petus given to the organs of circulation, those suffering 
from organic heart disease must, at least, ride with extreme 
caution, and, perhaps, cannot ride at all.*' 

It is almost superfluous to add that the corpulent woman 
will derive one hundred per cent more benefit from doing 
her '*' five-mile stint '' in the open air than on a fixed wheel 
in her own room or a gymnasium. 

In swimming we have another exercise which is of equal 
advantage to the ner^^ous, emaciated woman and to the 
obesity suft'erer. This is proof of its great value as a stimu- 
lant to all the organs of the body in the normal perform- 
ance of their functions. Doing this it takes off superfluous 
tissue, and encourages the development of weak muscles, 
while the deep regular breathing broadens and expands 
the chest and strengthens the lungs. Its influence upon 
mind and nerv^es, too, is admirable, as it promotes confi- 



THE BED OF ROSES IS FOR THE THIN WOMAN. 43I 

dence, poise, presence of mind, and courage. Of its im- 
portance to every man, woman, and child, aside from its 
value as an exercise, there can be no question, because 
thousands of lives are lost every year through ignorance of 
the art. 

The bed of rose-petals is for the thin woman, and all we 
shall ask of her is to submit to being made comfortable. 
But even this will require some sacrifice on her part, for she 
must yield all her pet worries that have strewn her path 
with soul- and body-pricking thorns. 

" Of the hard and weary loads 

'Neath which we bend and fall, 
The troubles that do not come 
Are the heaviest ones of all." 

The thin, angular woman is usually the nervous one and 
the overburdened Martha who '' takes her washing and 
ironing to bed with her." The cause of her emaciation 
must be treated as well as the condition. Worry and hurry 
are American vices that seem ingrained in the fibre of our 
being; and they are not only a menace to health and con- 
sequently to beauty, but also mental and moral poisons, 
and a fatal handicap to all success and joy in life. 

Epictetus says : " We all dread a bodily paralysis, and 
would make use of any contrivance to avoid it, but none of 
us is troubled about a paralysis of the soul." Now, the soul 
has no part in the rush and excitement of overwork and 
anxiety by which women court nervous prostration every 
day. It is in effect paralyzed and inert at such times, and 
will remain so till we look at life through its calm eyes and 
for the first time make acquaintance with our real selves. 
When we seek strength and serenity from our souls we 
shall always find it in ample measure, for its source is the 
very fountain of life and as unfailing as time. 

Show me the woman who can prove to me that she has 
ever gained the smallest advantage or warded ofif any disas- 



432 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ter by worry! In the length and breadth of the land she is 
not to be found. But in every sanatorium and insane 
asylum in the whole world the victims of care, anxiety, 
worry, overwork, and hurry outnumber those from all other 
causes put together. 

My poor, thin, nervous, overworked sister, take heart of 
grace, and turn your back bravely upon the old order of 
things. '' Conditions cannot be your master when you know 
yourself. The buds of wondrous promise are within us all." 
Every evil is multiplied by brooding over it, and good can 
be increased in the same way. The first reform and better- 
ment must come within yourself; then other blessings shall 
follow a*s the harvest does the seed-time. 

The meagre woman who courts flesh to round her angles 
into curves of beauty needs fresh air and sunshine in un- 
stinted measure, and must have them ; she must eat a great 
deal of fruit of all kinds, and those denied the obese 
woman are her special friends. She must when possible 
take a glass of milk between meals in- mid-morning and the 
afternoon, and again before going to bed. A wafer or two 
can be eaten with it, and it must be slowly sipped, not drunk 
quickly down. She can eat cereals freely and all the starchy 
and sweet vegetables, Irish and sweet potatoes, peas, corn, 
and beans, as well as all the green ones, and salads to pro- 
mote digestion. 

Bisque and cream soups encourage the laying on of fat, 
as also appetizing preparations of macaroni and spaghetti, 
and farinaceous puddings. IMeats should be eaten accord- 
ing to appetite and taste, avoiding only those which are 
unwholesome for all. If the appetite be poor, it must be 
encouraged by variety, choice flavor, and dainty prepara- 
tion; but if you have regard for your complexion you will 
use pickles sparingly, and shun piecrust, hot, fresh breads, 
hot cakes, and over-indulgence in sweets, lest they cloy the 
appetite for more substantial food, and set up fermentations 
which disturb digestion. All the directions concerning 



FLESH-MAKING REGIMEN. 433 

adaptation of food to needs given in the chapter on diet 
should be heeded, because it is just as easy to eat for love- 
Hness of complexion at the same time that you clothe harsh 
angles as to make the latter the sole object. The whole 
regimen should be one of beauty development. Any de- 
rangement of digestion must be corrected if possible by diet 
and exercise without recourse to medicine. Hot water 
should be drunk freely. 

Warm or hot baths should be taken daily, and either a 
Turkish or a home vapor-bath once a week. Emollient and 
tonic baths are also excellent. Massage after the bath will 
aid in stimulating the skin, and the flesh can be fed directly 
through this means with nourishing oils and fats. An 
emollient of Dr. Pokitonofif's prescription is this: 

MASSAGE FOR LA MAIGREUR. 

Tannin " Yz gramme 

Lanoline 30 grammes 

Oil of sweet almonds 20 grammes 

Melt the lanoline and oil in a bain-marie, stirring till thor- 
oughly mingled; as the mixture cools beat in the tannin. 

Another excellent cream which feeds the skin and under- 
lying tissues is the following: 

BEAUTY CREAM. 

Lanoline 5 ounces 

Spermaceti ^ ounce 

Mutton-tallow (freshly tried). . . '. 5 ounces 

Cocoa-nut oil 4 ounces 

Oil of sweet almonds 4 ounces 

Tincture of benzoin i drachm 

Extract of Portugal 4 ounces 

Oil of neroli 20 drops 

Mix according to previous directions for similar creams. 
One more formula which Dr. Pokitonof¥ recommends is 
this: 



434 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

EMOLLIENT CREAM FOR FLESH-MAKING. 

Fresh lard — lOO grammes 

Alcohol 80% 20 grammes 

Essence of rosemary 11 drops 

Essence of bergamot 11 drops 

When trying out the lard add a smah bit of powdered 
gum camphor. Strain the lard, then beat in the alcohol; 
and just before the cream congeals stir in the essences. 

Alcoholic lotions are also stimulating, and some consti- 
tutions will be benefited by a cold sponge, a spray, or even 
a quick plunge after the warm bath; but this has to be de- 
cided by experiment. Often the thin person has not the 
overplus of strength for the cold bath, so that even when 
the reaction is perfect, it is for her a wasteful expenditure. 

An old and curious formiula for promoting the firmness 
of the bust directs that two whole Portugal oranges be 
boiled for four hours in three hundred grammes of olive-oil. 
A bain-marie, or other double boiler, should be used. At 
night a piece of an orange is rubbed lightly over the breasts. 
If continued for a fortnight the result is said to be most 
satisfactory. Another French method of treatment is to rub 
the bosoms with this cream : 

POMMADE RAFFERMISSANTE. 

Oil of sweet almonds. 200 grammes 

White wax 100 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin 50 grammes 

Rose-water > 50 grammes 

Pulverized tannin 25 grammes 

This differs but slightly from some formulae for face 
creams (given in Chapter on The Care of the Complexion), 
which could be substituted for it. The inunction with the 
pomade, applied lightly and freely but not rubbed in, is 
followed by painting the breasts over with pure elastic 
collodion, which forms a sort of cuirass and supports the 
relaxed tissues. It is applied at night and is easily removed 



FLESH-MAKING REGIMEN. 435 

ill the morning. The treatment is pronounced excellent in 
results, and is also commended for flabby cheeks and any 
other parts of the body which have been unduly distended. 

Dr. Vaucaire's treatment for disfiguring enlargement of 
the breasts, which is a greater inconvenience than too slight 
development, is the following: Rub the breasts every night 
with this pomade: 

DR. VAUCAIRE'S ASTRINGENT. 

Aristol 2 grammes 

White vaseline 30 grammes 

Essence of peppermint 10 drops 

Then cover them with compresses wet with this lotion: 

Alum 2 grammes 

Acetate of lead 30 grammes 

Distilled water 400 grammes 

Cover the compresses with oiled silk or other imper- 
meable stuff and keep them on for twelve hours. The treat- 
ment must be continued for several months. Dr. Vaucaire 
commends also as excellent the following, to be applied like 
the foregoing: 

IODINE POMADE. 

Iodide of potassium 3 grammes 

Vaseline 50 grammes 

Lanoline 50 grammes 

Tincture of benzoin 20 drops 

The slender woman's best hope for the development of 
her figure is in the nourishing aliment which will clothe 
the whole of her body in healthy, sound flesh ; and in those 
exercises which expand the chest and strengthen the mus- 
cles of the bust. These are fully explained in the Chapter 
on Physical Culture. Very surprising results are also some- 
times obtained from the application of static electricity, and 
it is even claimed that it is always successful unless the 
m-ammarial glands are atrophied. But for even this condi- 



43 



6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



tion Dr. A'aucaire gives a good deal of encouragement. He 
very emphatically interdicts the external application of any 
balms or pastes whatsoever, and prescribes in addition to 
the usual regimen for the cure of niaigressc, tliis potion 

FOR ATROPHIED BREASTS. 
Liquid extract of galega igoat's rue ■ lo grammes 

Lacto-phosphate of iime lo grammes 

Tincture of fennel lo grammies 

Simple syrup 400 gram^mes 

The dose is two soupspoonfuls in water before ever\- meal. 
The results are said to be very good. The drinking of malt 
extracts during meals is also advised. 

A very old French book, one of those mysterious 
treasuries of curious cosmetic formulae which prove to us 
how much time, thought, and study have through all the 
ages been devoted to the important subject of enhancing 
woman's beauty, contains this prescription (Unfortunately, 
the first and third ingredients are unfamiliar to American 
pharmacists) : 

REGIME FOR EMPOXPOIXT. 

Salep of Persia 15 grammes 

Powdered cocoa 60 grammes 

Gland donx d'Asie 60 grammes 

Potato starch 45 grammes 

Rice starch 60 grammes 

Sugar 250 grammes 

Vanilla 5 centigrammes 

Mix the ingredients and take two or three spoonfuls every 
morning in a glass of milk. 

To encourage the appetite of ner^-ous, thin women whose 
greatest difficulty sometimes is to eat sufficient food. Dr. 
Vaucaire prescribes this tonic : 

AX APPETIZER. 

Tincture of star-anise 3 grammes 

Tincture of rhubarb 2 grammes 

Tincture of nux-vomica 3 gram.mes 



FLESH-MAKING REGIMEN. 437 

The dose is six to ten drops in a spoonful of water to be 
taken five minutes before every meal. 

The caution must be given that very great harm can be 
done by using any of the patent nostrums advertised as 
mammarial balms, for which most extravagant virtues are 
claimed. And even more dangerous are the many mechani- 
cal appliances for increasing the fullness of the bust which 
may cause serious injury to these very delicate and im- 
portant glands. It is running the gravest risk to apply any 
compound to the breasts in ignorance of the ingredients 
composing it. 

Massage of these sensitive parts must be very carefully 
and discreetly employed, and the manipulations must be 
very gentle. It is most injurious to allow a young girl's 
bosoms to be handled at all. Nature provides this charm 
for all women, and it can be secured in the natural way. 
For her the effective remedy can always be found in proper 
exercise and tissue-building food. Although sometimes 
inunctions with almond, olive, or cocoa-nut oil prove bene- 
ficial, absolutely no efifect need be expected from them un- 
less the physical conditions are such that the whole body 
is gaining flesh, and the skin through baths and massage 
has been made to assimilate nourishment in this way. Valu- 
able hints to promote this are given in the Chapter on 
Baths. 

When the services of an expert masseuse cannot be had, 
the massage rollers will often be found very helpful in self- 
manipulation. They come in various shapes and sizes, and 
sometimes in sets for different parts of the face and body. 
But one roller of medium size, rather small, can do all the 
work. Remember that all movements on the face should 
be outward and upward from the mouth. 

A French formula for promoting the volume and firm- 
ness of the bosom, which it is also claimed will prevent it 
from ever becoming flaccid, contains no injurious substances 
and I therefore give it here : 



438 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

BALM OF VENUS. 

Tincture of quillaya 3 drachms 

Tincture of myrrh 3 drachms 

Tincture of benzoin 3 drachms 

Galega-water (infusion of goat's rue) . . 5 ounces 

Rose-water 15 ounces 

Almond-milk 2 ounces 

Rectified alcohol i ounce 

Essence of bergamot i drachm 

Essence of neroli i drachm 

Powdered alum 90 grains 

Dissolve the alum in the galega-water; mingle the rose- 
water and almond-milk; then add slowly, under constant 
agitation, the tinctures; add the essences to the alcohol; and 
then put all together, shaking till thoroughly incorporated. 
Apply the emulsion at night, rubbing it gently in with a 
clasping firm pressure of the fingers and palms. 

Before the thin woman can begin to put on flesh her 
nerves have to be coaxed, and a very fragrant water whose 
odors have a tonic effect upon them is this : 

EAU ROMAIN. 

Jasmine-water 6 ounces 

Vanilla-water (can be made from extract) 3 ounces 

Acacia-water (can be made from extract of cassie) . . 3 ounces 

Tuberose-water (can be made from extract) Yi ounce 

Essence of ambergris 10 drops 

Tincture of benzoin i drachm 

Put all but the tincture together, and shake till thoroughly 
mingled ; then add the tincture drop by drop, with constant 
agitation. A few drops in a basin of water is delightfully 
refreshing, and imparts just the delicate fragrance which is 
agreeable. 

Rest is quite as important for the thin woman as her 
baths and food, and this will perhaps be the hardest lesson 
she has to learn. She is usually a busy woman, either vol- 
untarily or from necessity, — one whose days, and nights as 
well, are crammed with duties and engagements which 



DAILY MAXIMS FOR BEAUTY GROWTH. 439 

crowd upon each other's heels. The greater part of these, 
perhaps aU, she will have to relinquish. Ten hours' sleep 
at night is none too much, and it must be i;i a bed alone, 
and in a quiet room. If she feels hke lying late in the 
morning she must do it, and be roused only to take a cup of 
hot chocolate with some toast or gluten bread and fruit. 

If there is no chronic indigestion that prevents the assim- 
ilation of food, she may gain all the flesh she desires by 
drinking chocolate freely and eating preserved figs, and 
taking both milk and water hot. A mid-day nap after lunch- 
eon is indispensable, and any interruption of this by the 
household must be made a misdemeanor. The patient must, 
too, if unable to give up all occupations, accustom herself 
to take little five-minute rests at frequent intervals. 

There is a wonderfully recuperative effect in just the 
shutting of the eyes and relaxing all tension for a few 
moments, banishing thought as well. " Repose is the sub- 
jugating of the impulses to the will."" When the habit of 
doing this is acquired it will be found a balm to the nerves 
and a great boon; enabling one to accomplish more work 
with less strain than in the customary rushing fashion, when 
we make our wills supply the place of strength, and then 
pride ourselves on this iniquitous form of self-abuse. 

The beginning of treatment with the thin woman must be 
to rest and to live in the open air as much as possible. Her 
diet, exercise, and baths must be regulated by her physical 
condition ; and at first, the changes in the former should 
be but slight. The cautions heretofore given about warmth 
apply especially to her. Cold is her bitter foe, and in winter 
she must wear warm underwear, and live in warm, sunny 
rooms that can be flooded with fresh air. 

Although thinness does not compare with obesity as a 
beauty-destroyer, nor put its victim out of commission, as it 
were, as a useful member of society, both these abnormal 
conditions originate from errors in the habits of eating, 
and therefore I commend to both these classes of sufferers 



440 THE WOMAN BEAU'J'IFUL. 

this thought : " When we have mastered the secret of eat- 
ing we will all reach a higher development. . . . The time 
is not far distant when we will no more take food indis- 
criminately than we take poisonous drugs." 

" Who seeks, and will not take when once 'tis offer' d, 
Shall never find it more." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE CHOICE OF PERFUMES AND THEIR PREPARATION. 

" Sometimes I choose the lily, without stain; 
The royal rose sometimes the best I call; 
Then the low daisy, dancing with the rain, 
Doth seem to me the finest flower of all; 
And yet if only one could bloom for me — 
I know right well what flower that one would be ! " 

Coincident with the chronicle of fnan's loves and hates 
the influence of sweet odors can be traced. Though their use 
has always increased and spread with high states of civiliza- 
tion, it has not been restricted to it; for even wandering 
tribes of savages have recognized the power of attraction 
contained in fragrant scents by anointing their bodies 
with perfumed oils; and Pliny tells us of one tribe whose 
entire diet was composed of sweet-scented substances. Not 
so pleasant, however, is his suggestion that the Persians 
used perfumes to overcome the personal odors from unclean 
bodies. This was probably hearsay, and arose from some 
temporary custom — what we should call now a " fad " — of 
substituting anointment with perfumed oil for their habit- 
ual ablutions, frequent reference to which can be found in 
all their holy writings. 

The senses of man, even in their crudest, untutored state, 
have always been recognized as, to a certain degree, in thral- 
dom to the delicious perfume of flowers, spices, precious 
resins, or gums, and aromatic plants. And, consequently, 

441 



442 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

with the most primitive people, the first step upward, rous- 
ing the desire to please, led to the use of all attainable per- 
fumes that could enhance personal attraction. 

The anointing of the body with a sweet-scented pomade 
or ointment seems to have been a very early custom, and 
was probably a part of the very first toilet that man- or 
woman-kind enjoyed ; and we find the reason for this in the 
subtle appeal to the imagination which all perfumes make. 
That it is one of the gifts of Nature intended for our pleas- 
ure is evident from the lavish hand with which they have 
been spread abroad over the whole surface of the earth. 

The first perfumes known to man were those of the 
flowers, to which he was first attracted by the beauty appeal- 
ing to his eye ; but before his ingenuity was capable of ex- 
tracting and preserving their fragrant odors, the more 
pungent and lasting scents of spices and resins and dried 
herbs attracted him and satisfied his need while cultivating 
his taste. It is easy to believe that to the aborigine, whose 
sense of smell was so much keener than ours and v/hose 
pleasures were so few, certain sweet odors may have afforded 
an intoxicating delight, opening to him the gates of his 
Paradise. The instinct implanted in man of deriving pleas- 
ure through the most refined gratification of the senses was 
the impulse, directing his upward gropings and strivings, 
to which we owe all the development of the creative arts; 
and in this, our day and generation, through the vast strides 
made in the science of chemistry, the manufacture of per- 
fumes has expanded into the dignity of an art. 

The very structure of the word, per — signifying " through" 
— and fumum — smoke, proves to us its early connection 
with incense and fumigation ; and indicates that the first 
suggestion of man's ingenuity for the use of aromatic resins, 
barks, and roots was to burn them ; and that very early they 
were associated with his purest and highest emotions, is 
recognized by the important part they were given in the 
most ancient forms of worship. 



WHY PERFUMES STIMULATE MEMORY. 443 

To account for this, science has come to our assistance. 
The microscope discloses, in the very core of the brain, a 
small mineral deposit consisting of grape-like masses of 
crystalline matter; and it was in this centre of the cere- 
brum that Galen, first, and afterwards Des Cartes placed the 
soul. Now, the olfactory nerve is so intimately connected 
with the hemispheres of the brain that Dr. Holmes said it 
" is not a nerve at all, but a part of the brain, in intimate 
connection with its anterior lobes." And this close affilia- 
tion with man's organ of thought may account for the power 
it exercises over his emotions, and also for the fact that 
familiar odors stimulate memory more than sensations of 
taste or touch. They seem to convey to that crystalHne core 
the ability to reflect the vivid images of things long unseen 
as if we looked into a mirror. 

All history is filled with proofs of the overpowering in- 
iiuence exercised upon man by perfumes ; and their use and 
disuse have marked the rise and fall of nations. During 
all the centuries of Egypt's splendor and luxury, perfumes 
occupied a more important part in the economy of life than 
they have ever done since, unless in the period of Rome's 
greatest power. In Egyptian mural remains the incense- 
burner and the incense-bearer were frequent subjects for the 
artist's brush; and among the hosts of household utensils, 
furnishings, and ornaments which their great tombs have 
preserved to our day, and which form pages of history for 
us, the number, variety, and form of smelling-bottles, vases 
for precious ointments, and incense-burners is practically 
countless. 

All the precious spices and perfumes used in Egypt were 
brought by caravan over the desert from Persia, the trade 
being very important and valuable, because of the enormous 
quantities consumed as well as their intrinsic value. The 
Egyptians spent vast sums of money for the aromatic resins 
and spices used in embalming their dead; and so lasting 
are some of these odors, that when a mummy has been ex- 



444 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

cavated, be it after r^'o or nearly four thousand years,, their 
periume has been distinctly recognizable. 

And, as in death so in life, these people surrounded them- 
selves witli flowers and perfumed their garments and apart- 
ments, lapping themselves in sweet odors. Even the sails of 
Cleopatra's barge were fragrant as it 

■ Burn'd on the water: — the poop was beaten gold; 
Purple the sails, and so periumed. that 
The winds were love-sick with them." 

The Jews early acquired from the Eg}-ptians habits of 
great luxtuy*. and with a love for showw dress and jewels 
united a fondness for perfumes and cosmetics. They paid 
extreme attention to the care of the person : and soon after 
!Moses' time, if not before, we find the barber, hairdresser, 
and perfumer plying their callings as busily as in the present 
age. The love of perfume seems to have been inherent in all 
the Oriental peoples, and is always inseparable from their 
higher and religious life; and we find it inwoven with all 
the habits of life of those ancient Asiatic races, the stories 
of whose advanced civilization more than two thousand 
years before Christ read like fair\' tales. In Xinevah and 
Babylon, besides the perfumes produced from those garden- 
lands, a thousand talents' worth of frankincense were an- 
nually imported, and the costliest scer.rs v.ere universally 
used. Cosmetic arts were known, and baths were of 
effeminate luxury. After being anointed with fragrant oil, 
the w^hole bod}^ was rubbed down with pumice-stone : rouge 
and paint followed: the eyes were darkened, with stibium 
(antimony), and the hair of men, even, was elaborately 
curled and braided. 

The taste of the Greeks in perfumes indicates a high de- 
gree of culture. They enjoyed a great variet}- of fragrant 
substances, and employed perfumed oils of the same sort 
in use now. The dainty violet was in special favor with 
them, and their poetic fancy wove about it a mystic legend 




AN ORIENTAL BEAUTY. 



MEDICINAL USE OF PERFUMES BY ANCIENT PEOPLES. 445 

as dainty as its subtle fragrance. lanthe, a favorite nymph 
of Artemis, was loved by the fickle god Apollo, and the 
goddess to protect her handmaiden dyed her blue. lanthe 
preferred the perils of beauty to the blight of ugliness, 
under the infliction of which she was pining away, when 
Artemis relented and changed her to a violet. 

In Solon's time the jeunesse dore carried the use of per- 
fumed oils to such a point of extravagance that he promul- 
gated a sumptuary law forbidding their sale to Athenian 
men. The beauty of Helen of Troy was attributed to their 
use, and so highly esteemed were certain essences and cos- 
metics that their formulae were inscribed on marble tablets 
in the temples. Medicinal virtues were attributed to many, 
and the rose especially was believed to possess qualities as 
therapeutic as beguiling, and it formed the basis of many 
remedies. 

Athens' final relief from the plague is attributed to the 
skih of Hippocrates, who purified the air by fumigating it 
with aromatic gums and herbs; and during the plague in 
England perfumes were extensively used as preventives. 
In Queen Elizabeth's time, a little ball of perfumed paste 
— the pomander — was worn about the neck as a preventive 
to contagion, and exquisite bits of jewelry were devised to 
contain them. It has been noticed that workers in per- 
fumery laboratories are exempt from disease during the 
prevalence of cholera epidemics, and hospital nurses in 
European countries escape contagion by carrying musk 
about them. After the Dutch protected their monopoly 
of the spice trade in the Molucas by destroying clove-trees 
on the island of Ternate the natives suffered from epidemics 
never before known there. 

Healing lotions and ointments were made by Hippoc- 
rates, Galen, and others, of honey, myrrh, turpentine resin 
boiled in sweet wine, and unripe grapes; and of ox-gall, 
finest honey, white wine in which shavings of the lote-tree 
— Ccltis anstralis — have been boiled, together with equal 



446 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

parts of frankincense, myrrh, saffron, and flowers of copper. 
A curious formula requires: 

Of frankincense i drachm 

Of gall I drachm 

Of saffron drachms 

These must be dried and powdered;, then, having m.ixed, 
triturate in a very strong sun, pouring in the juice of unripe 
grapes until it becomes of a gelatinous consistency; let 
stand in the sun three days; then pour gradually over it 
sufficient '' austere, dark-colored, fragrant wine " to macer- 
ate it. This was one of Hippocrates' prescriptions for an 
ulcer. Theophilus describes a process of fumigating the 
body with frankincense, spikenard, cassia, and storax, which 
was employed especially for women to relax the system and 
relieve pain. 

The Romans were apt pupils of the Greeks in all the arts 
and luxuries of life, and carried the use of perfumes to the 
same point of extravagance that everything else reached. 
There was a numerous guild of perfumers — unguentarii — 
who lived in a part of the city called Velabrum ; and in the 
pleasure-loving town of Capua, Scplasia Street was given 
up to them. A thoroughly Patrician Roman had himself 
anointed thrice daily with costly perfumed oil, and the 
golden flask — the narfhecice — containing it, which was al- 
ways carried to the bath with him, was an exquisite example 
of the goldsmith's art. 

When Poppsa died, Xero assuaged his sorrow in the 
burning of incense, more than Arabia's entire production of 
sweet-scented gums and herbs for a year being burned at 
her funeral. Such extravagance required control, of course, 
so Rome, also, saw the day, under the consulate of Licimus 
Crassus, when sumptuary laws were required to restrict the 
use of perfumery, " there bemg good reason to fear that 
there would not be' enough for the ceremonies in the tem- 
ples." 



PERFUMES INSTEAD OF MALODOROUS DISINFECTANTS. 447 

In periods of religious intolerance and persecution, the 
personal use of perfumes always died out; usually, from 
being prohibited, together with other gratifications of taste 
or the love of the beautiful, because they gave pleasure and, 
in consequence, were considered beguilements of his Satanic 
Majesty. The Puritans and Pilgrims, though they indulged 
in many small vanities, repressed with iron hand most of 
the ornaments of life which roused emotions of joy or pleas- 
ure, and in many respects their influence is felt to the present 
generation. ' 

It is rather curious that for many years, also, the use of 
perfumes as remedial agents in disease has been almost com- 
pletely overlooked, when not denied, by the medical pro- 
fessioil ; and it is but recently that their use as disinfectants 
has been revived. This word, indeed, has for a long time 
been associated in our minds with unpleasant, when not 
positively horrible, odors. It should therefore rejoice every 
one to learn that the free use of perfumes is beneficial to 
the general health ; that certain ones are almost a specific 
as protection from contagious diseases; and that nothing 
purifies bad air better than spraying a room with volatile 
extracts or burning aromatic substances. 

The incense-burner should be restored to general use, 
and the sum spent in keeping sweet, as well as clean, 
charged to the necessary general expenses. There is no 
necessity either of using vile-smelling moth-preventives, for 
sachets of dried lavender or of cloves and allspice are more 
efficacious, and do not announce in an ofifensive way, to 
every one with whom you come in contact, your resurrec- 
tion from a packing-chest, when the first sharp autumn frost 
demands a hurried unpacking of warm wraps. 

The shawl-merchants of Kashmir protect their fabrics 
from moths and other insects by the free use of Costus, 
which resembles orris-root. It is the KosJifa of the Greeks, 
and botanically, Aplotaxis Lappa, — identical with Dr. Fal- 
coner's Auchlandia Costus. It is a crown monopoly in 



448 THZ vtcma:: zzAvnrvL. 

Kashmir, where 2.000,000 p: inis are collected annually, 
and every " Kut " field is asstrs^:! 1 rxed amoiinu Ti'.t 
tax-collector buys tbe prodi::: :: :'/.t : .aeers at a certain 
low rate. a::i ittakes a cretr t :: : ::: ::e transaction. 
The tr r i rtotisusei : :r : tiri tn }-'-'-i trre vnittities 
are et:t :r: i to China tviterc it i£ ittticit ui^i as an maense. 

Titt t/erapeutic value of cinnamon is being recognized 

tit iift :r tr iela}, for its mere scent has power ta ae- 
stra . ntan . iniectious microbes. Its essence vien ex; sea 
in the sick-room will kill typhoid bad'/.: iit t" zi n :t a 

prevent fresh cases. Persons who i t n t :: tisi to 
contagion from any infectious fevers a^r ta citaiert :r it? 
Hve in locaUties where malarial fevers are prevaler : 't it 
drink freely of a decoction of cinnamon, and may ai= : : tt 
the stick cinnamon and keep bits of it about them. Titese 
valuable properties of the spice have been recognized in 
England for some years past, and, in consequence. Queen 
A: a: ?!-:?- ntakes a rule of taking it in some form daily. 

7 : : :t:.rs have cooperated to advance the art of per- 
fumer}- ver\^ greatly in recent years : :i r tt tension of trade 
to hitherto almost inaccessible cr aria a tttntries has 
brought to our knowledge new ani . aiaa :ir ar :aa:i: saa- 
sta:t:es. and the science of chemistry has developed new 
ittetit Is of extraction, combination, and preparation. With 
tit- :rease of wealth and refinement, also, the consumption 
of perfumes has grown enormously ; and the cultivation 
:: tie products needed has become a valuable industry, in 
tat r at parts of the world. It is a curious fact that flowers 
grown in warm countries 3-ield the strongest odors, while 
ti : - 1 It colder climates are generally sweeter. 

7/ r tlower gardens of the South of Etu-ope. and more 
esaetiaiiv if rraace. furnish :y izr the largest part at the 
rt -a t:rrit ::r ti e perfumery industry, ana ti la^ands of 
tr t r trr t t! rl iu thc fragrant fields. 5i^i:: differ- 
ences of temperature and soil affect powerfully the character 
of floral odors, and thus it is that certain places are famed 



THE PERFUME-GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 449 

for certain perfumes. At Cannes the rose, cassie, jasmine, 
and tuberose are cultivated successfully ; Nismes furnishes 
lavender and rosemary; Nice is celebrated' for its violets 
and mignonette, which nowhere else attain quite the same 
subtle delicacy; while Sicily and Italy furnish the finest 
citric odors, — bergamot, cedrat, lemon, neroli, petit-grain, 
orange, and limette. 

The moist climate of England favors the most successful 
culture of lavender, peppermint, and rosemary, the oils of 
which are so fine in quality as to command the highest 
prices. The best lavender is raised at Mitcham. This floral 
culture for the perfumery trade should be a large industry 
in the United States, as there are vast sections of the 
country where it could be most profitable, but it is still in 
its infancy here. In Michigan and some parts of New York 
State peppermint is grown on quite a large scale, and con- 
tinual experiments are being made to improve the quality 
and output. 

The extensive use of perfumes and the art of their 
preparation never died out in the Orient, and it has always 
been from its cradle there that the custom of their use has 
returned from time to time, in waves as it were, to the 
countries of the Occident. The Arabians, fathers of chem- 
istry, were the first to apply its principles to develop the art 
of perfumery. The important process of distillation was 
discovered by the Arabian physician Avicenna, in the tenth 
century. He invented rose-water, considered a great dis- 
covery, and it was used largely in medicine as well as for 
perfume and cosmetics; the preparation of other fragrant 
waters from leaves, flowers, and herbs, followed. Sultan 
Saladin celebrated his triumphal entry into Constantinople, 
in 1 1 57, by having the walls of the Mosque of Omar 
washed with rose-water. 

Mahomet was extravagantly fond of perfumes, and the 
enchanting houris, with whom he peopled the paradise 
promised the faithful, are described in the Koran as having 



450 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

bodies of purest musk. So fond was Mahomet of this strong 
odor that tradition avers it was mixed in the mortar with, 
wdiich the walls of a certain mosque were laid, and when 
the sun shone the perfume exhaled from the sacred 
structure. 

The choicest and rarest of perfumes, otto of roses, comes 
to us from India and Turkey; but, alas! so precious is this 
fragrant oil and so highly esteemed in the countries where 
it is mad^ that it is very rare a single drop of the unadul- 
terated oil reaches the marts of the Occident. There is a 
vast acreage in Bulgaria given up to the culture of the Red 
Damask rose, and there are extensive rose-farms also at 
Uslak, Turkey-in-Asia, and at Ghazipoor, India. The otto 
is extracted by distillation of the rose-petals in copper ves- 
sels, the operation being repeated with fresh flowers a num- 
ber of times, collecting the distillate in cool receivers. Five 
hundred pounds of petals yield only about one ounce of otto. 
In Bulgaria the flower-buds are gathered before sunrise, 
to insure delicacy and sweetness. If gathered later in the 
day when the buds have opened, the perfume would be 
stronger but not so sweet. A resinous substance which ac- 
cumulates on the pickers' fingers is carefully scraped ofif, 
rolled into balls, and used for mixing with tobacco in ciga- 
rettes. 

The word atar, or attar, often used interchangeably with 
otto, comes from India, where it has the same meaning as 
abir, signifying mixed perfumes. Thus, Abir of Bombay is 
composed of santal, violets, orange-flower, rose-water, 
musk, and spikenard. The adulteration of this precious oil 
has led to an attempt in Germany to produce it, and exten- 
sive rose-gardens have been established in the vicinity of 
Leipsig for that purpose. It is already on the market, in 
small quantities, and its purity is guaranteed. 

Curious phenomena in connection with the odors of 
plants are that different parts yield it, — as the bark, leaf, 
or blossom, — and that some plants yield more than one 



THE METHODS OF EXTRACTING PERFUMES. 451 

odor, all distinct. The orange-tree furnishes the perfumer 
with three most valuable products; from the leaves petit- 
grain is extracted; from the flowers, the favorite neroli; 
and from the rind of the fruit, the essential oil called re- 
spectively Portugal or Bigarade, according as it is expressed 
from the sweet or the bitter orange. 

Even more curious is the fact that totally dissimilar 
odors are germinated in the same plant or flower. There 
is a South American white lily — Tritclia uniflora — which has 
the delicate odor of violets, but when bruised gives forth 
a strong smell of garlic. An obscure relation must exist 
between these two odors, for Cassie flowers — Acacia Far- 
ncsiana — also resemble the violet in fragrance, but, if eaten, 
impart to the breath a repulsively strong odor of garlic, 
entirely imperceptible to the person eating them. In Cen- 
tral Australia there is a tree bearing the unpleasant name 
of the stinking acacia because of the pfTensive smell of its 
blossoms; but its wood has the fragrance of raspberry jam, 
and bears that name in the markets. The leaves of the tree 
have no perceptible smell when fresh, but forty-eight hours 
after being picked have the obnoxious effluvia of rotting 
cabbage. 

The fragrance of plants is extracted by the dififerent proc- 
esses of distillation by v/ater, expression, and absorption 
or maceration in oily substances; the three last are gen- 
erally used for flowers, and the first for barks, plants, 
and woods. In distifling, the herbs or flowers are usually 
placed in a wire basket which is suspended in the still, al- 
lowing the steam to permeate the fragrant mass and carry 
its volatile principle with it to the condenser, where on 
cooling the oily molecules are deposited. The same water 
is distilled several times with fresh plants or flowers, and 
retaining some of the volatile perfume is itself, in the case 
of certain flowers, of value. 

The valuable essential oils contained in the fruit-rinds of 
the citron family are obtained by expression, the primitive 



452 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Operation being to grate them and collect the product with 
a sponge; but machinery has improved upon this. The 
process of maceration, or infusion, is used for flowers of 
strong odor such as cassie, rose, violet, and orange-flower, 
and for musk, civet, and aromatic resins. A certain quan- 
tity of the prepared fat. — lard, beef-suet, veal-fat, beef-mar- 
row, or mutton-suet, carefully rendered, and as pure as pos- 
sible — is put in a pan which is set in a salt-water bath 
that is brought to a boil; when the fat is liquefied, the 
flowers, picked from their stems and torn apart, are dropped 
in and digested for an hour or two at a gentle heat. The 
pan is then set aside for twenty-four hours, after which the 
flowers are taken out and drained through a horsehair bag; 
fresh flowers take their place, and the process is repeated 
till the oil is fragrant. The unctuous, resinous substances 
are rubbed to a smooth paste with a little oil, and some- 
times mixed with more than their weight of fine sand or 
powdered glass to assist their reduction, before they are 
put in the hot fat. 

The native perfumers of India prepare their scented oils 
of bela. chumbal. jasmine, etc.. by the following primitive 
method of absorption, the cnflcnragc of the French : A layer 
of the sweet-scented flovrers four inches thick and about two 
or three feet square is spread on the ground or on a stone 
slab, and over it are strewn moistened telor, or sesamum. 
seeds to a depth of two inches; on top of the seeds comes 
another four-inch layer of flowers. A dampened sheet is 
then spread over the whole and pressed closely at the edges 
by weights. After tvventy-four hours the flowers are re- 
placed by fresh ones, and the process is repeated a third or, 
perhaps, a fourth time. The sw^ollen sesamum seeds, sweet 
with the flower-odor, are then put under a press, and their 
bland, fragrant oil is sealed in large duhhcrs (carboys) of 
untanned hide. Poppy-seeds have been employed success- 
fully in this country in a similar manner. 

Bntlcurage is employed in France for all the delicate odors 



FRENCH SKILL IN PERFUMERY. 453 

which will not bear heat. Squares of glass framed in wood 
are prepared and covered with grease in a thin layer upon 
which the fresh flowers are strewn ; the frames are then 
piled one upon another and closely covered to exclude air 
and insects. The flowers are renewed every twenty-four 
hours till the grease is sufficiently impregnated with their 
fragrance, when it is scraped from the glass, melted by 
gentle heat, and strained. 

The French are skillful in the cultivation of the flowers, 
in the extraction of their odors, and in all their manipula- 
tion; and they have developed a critical taste in the subtle 
combination of different odors which together with the 
purity of their products has won them deserved recognition 
as past masters in the art of perfumery. Their zeal in the 
art has even extended to the invention of methods by which 
they impart fragrance to odorless blossoms, and if the 
scientists do not weary of their fascinating study they may 
succeed in training the rank-smelling marigold to rival the 
fragrant lily. 

This process of teaching a flower the way it should grow 
— already partially successful — begins by soaking the seeds 
for two days in rose-water with just a trace of musk ; after 
this the seeds are partially dried, and sown. The first growth 
of flowers from seed so treated shows a marked improve- 
ment, and it is believed that the third and fourth generations 
will not know their ancestors. Among these experiments 
it has been found that to water plants constantly with a weak 
solution of musk will impart that odor to their flowers ; and 
that trees can be perfumed by injecting concentrated es- 
sences into their trunks before the sap begins to rise. 

In nothing has Dame Fashion shown more arbitrary 
eccentricity and inconsistency than in her decrees anent the 
use of perfumes ; at one time giving great vogue to the 
most pronounced and strongest scents ; and anon, as if to 
make amends, banishing every hint of essence or even 
fragrant water from the grande dame's toilette ; stamping 



454 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

their use as vulgar, and exposing the frail sister who 
indulged a fondness for them to the grave reproach of con- 
cealing uncleanliness thereby, — all of which takes us with 
one leap back across the intervening centuries to those heed- 
less Persians who furnished material for Pliny's eloquent 
pen. After all, the world is a very small place, and history 
repeateth itself full oft. 

Out of all these freaks and fancies we have formulated 
some dainty rules, which, though unwritten, exercise a de- 
termining influence upon our use and choice of perfumes. 
All strong, overpowering odors are tabood by good form, 
and no further reason should be needed for this than that 
founded on courtesy, which forbids us to offend our neigh- 
bor. Some people are made violently ill by inhaling certain 
pungent or so-called heavily sweet scents. 

Animal perfumes like ambergris, civet, and musk are too 
rank by themselves to be even the least agreeable to many 
people, and to most people they are extremely offensive. 
Their value consists in the property they possess of fixing, 
or developing and making more permanent, many of the 
subtle vegetable odors when they are mingled with them 
as a base. An infinitesimal quantity only is needed for this, 
and it should not be perceptible to the daintiest sense of 
smell. Chinese or Tonquin musk is the most valuable, and 
it is taken by the Chinese hunters from the musk deer, a 
small creature inhabiting the highest of the Himalayas. The 
hunters and musk merchants display the most amazing in- 
genuity in adulterating it, and even imitate the sack itself 
with a bit of skin which they fill with dried blood, earth, 
and the merest fragment of the genuine musk. 

Just as there is a harmony of color, form, and sound, so 
is there a harmony of odors; and it is possible to cultivate 
the olfactory nerve to a keen and sensitive appreciation of 
this harmony. The famous Parisian perfumer, Piesse, be- 
lieved it possible to arrange different odors in a harmonic 
scale, and in combining them he studied to produce perfect 



FASTIDIOUS TASTE IN THE USE OF PERFUMES. 455 

chords as the musician does with tones. Thus it wih be 
seen that the tyro should not with bold but ignorant hand 
toss several perfumes together to make a handkerchief 
bouquet. That he does it, we have frequent proof whenever 
we walk abroad, or find ourselves in a mixed crowd. The 
cheap, crude extracts are thus compounded of adulterated 
substances, and in ignorance of the chemical action and re- 
action of different odors upon one another, and their use 
is always an abomination. 

Only the experienced chemist is competent to compound 
choice perfumes, as certain principles kill each other, while 
others sustain, develop, and mingle together. Thus, vanilla, 
almond, clematis, and heliotrope blend exquisitely, making 
a harmonious major chord ; while neroli, lemon, and ver- 
bena mingle as harmoniously, but upon a higher key. 

The fastidious woman should — and generally does— 
ascertain what odor is to her the sweetest and best of all, 
and then fix her affections firmly upon it. She should in- 
dividualize it by using it among all her belongings; and 
by all means avoid the disagreeable effect of running 
through the whole gamut of odors, with rose perfume in 
her glove-box, orange-flowers with her veils, and violet in 
her gown. 

Violet is, preeminently, the favorite perfume of the day. 
It has received the cachet of the social world, and is the per- 
sonal fragrance of many distinguished women; yet it pos- 
sesses such exquisite qualities that even in becoming so 
general a choice, it by no means loses its distinction. The 
essential oil of violets is so difficult to extract that the 
genuine perfume is among the most expensive odors; and 
most of the so-called violet perfumes are generally mixtures 
of other fine odors which blend with and should bring out 
the true violet fragrance, while the cheaper sorts are made 
of orris-root. The pure violet oil has a strong narcotic odor 
bearing no resemblance to the flower scent, which returns 
only when it is greatly diluted. There is no reason why 



456 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

violet culture for the perfume trade should not be a large 
and most remunerative industry in this country. Xot only 
in that flower-land California, but even right at our doors, 
in Xew Jersey, these favorite flowers are most successfully 
grown, and there is an opening for some woman to make 
a fortune by developing this thoroughly womanly occupa- 
tion. 

Here are some violet perfume formulae, culled from ex- 
pert authorities, which can be prepared at home when time 
and trouble are no consideration, or be put up by any 
reliable pharmacist: 



EXTILACT OF VIOLET. 

Violet pomade, or oil ^ pound 

Extract of cassie 11 ounces 

Alcohol. ., 16 ounces 

A cheaper extract, which is a good imitation, is the fol- 
lowing: 

Extract of cassie ^ pint 

Extract of rose 5 ounces 

Extract of tuberose 5 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 5 ounces 

Oil of bitter almond 2 grains 

PURE EXTILACT OF VIOLET. 

Violet pomade, or oil i pound 

Deodorized alcohol i quart 

VIOLET SACHET POWDER. 

Benzoin (powdered) 4 ounces 

I\Iusk 10 grains 

Oil of lemon grass 10 grains 

Orange-flowers Yi ounce 

Cassia (coarsely powdered) i^ ounces 

Rose-petals 4 ounces 

Orris-root (powdered) 8 ounces 

Oil of bitter almond 10 grains 



CHOICE VIOLET PERFUMES. 457 

VIOLET SUBLIME SACHET. 

Powdered orris-root 8 ounces 

Powdered rose-petals 2 ounces 

Powdered rhodium-wood 2 ounces 

Powdered black currant-leaves 2 ounces 

Powdered benzoin. i ounce 

Powdered musk-pods 2 ounces 

Oil of bitter almonds 20 drops 

In the process of maceration, the semi-solid grease used 
Is called by the French pommade, and extracts are made by 
pouring alcohol over them. The pomade — or the oil 
from enUeiirage — is put in wide-mouthed bottles or stone 
jars, and alcohol poured over it in varying proportions ac- 
cording to the strength of the pomade; it is kept in a warm 
place and frequently stirred for a month, then the extract 
is poured off, and replaced with a like quantity of alcohol. 
The extract from the first washing is known as No. i, and 
that from the second as No. 2. Essences are properly the 
essential oils, and are so called by the French. But the 
English give the term also to alcoholic extracts, and hence 
much confusion arises. 

A favorite violet extract is the following: 

WOODLAND VIOLET. 

Extract of violet 6 ounces 

Extract of rose 2 ounces 

Extract of tuberose 2 ounces 

Extract of cassie 2 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 2 ounces 

Tincture of ambergris i>2 ounces 

Oil of bitter almonds 20 drops 

Rose-water (triple strength) 11 drachms 

In making the extracts much depends upon the alcohol, 
wbich should be deodorized, or the so-called Cologne 
spirit. The rectified grain or wine spirits are preferred to 
all others, and different odors show a special affinity to one 
and the other. All the citron and rose oils eive their sweet- 



45^ THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

est aroma only when extracted in pure spirit of wine; but 
all the violet family and musk, ambergris, and their fellows, 
are congenial to the grain alcohols. When impossible to 
obtain pure wine or brandy spirit, it is best simulated by 
adding one drachm of acetic acid to a quart of alcohol, 
which overcomes, or " corrects," as the chemists say, the 
odor of the fusel oil left from corn, giving it the effect of 
brandy spirit. 

A most agreeable violet water for the toilet and for vapor- 
izing one's apartment contains the following harmony of 
sweet odors: 

EAU DE VIOLETTE DE PARMA. 

Extract of violet 5>4 drachms 

Extract of cassie 5^ drachms 

Tincture of orris-root 11 drachms 

Tincture of civet 2^ drachms 

Oil of bitter almonds ID drops 

Oil of rhodium 20 drops 

Alcohol 95% I pint 

Rose-water, triple 13 drachms 

The triple extracts of the French are made by digesting 
pure rectified spirit on half its weight of fragrant oil. It is 
left to stand for several days, being frequently agitated in 
the interval; then the perfumed spirit is carefully decanted 
and poured over a fresh supply of the oil or pomade. The 
operation is repeated a third time, and the result is the 
triple extract. The portions of oil are treated to a second 
and even a fourth bath of alcohol, which are numbered ac- 
cordingly, and are at last themselves used in Jiair pomades. 
.It is a pretty fancy, especially for young girls, to select 
an odor which harmonizes or corresponds with their most 
becoming or favorite color ; and when opportunity or means 
admit, the idea is carried even to the furnishing of the girl's 
own room. Carnation, rose, lily, violet, lavender, migno- 
nette, and neroli^lend themselves charmingly to this in- 
dividuality. All the orange and citron odors belong to the 



A HARMONY BETWEEN ODORS AND COLORS. 459 

girl who adores yellow and never looks better than when she 
makes a golden shimmer of herself in the glowing color. 
That her room should be done in chrysanthemum-flowered 
cretonne, silkoline, or India silks, follows as a matter of 
course in the harmony of things. That a girl whose pres- 
ence and little personal belongings are always recognized 
by the faintest preceptible fragrance of the clove-pink or 
carnation should be found in her sanctum in a setting of 
delicate pink or rose-color seems as natural as that water 
should run down hill. 

For her especial benefit I give the following formula for 
compounding what is called by courtesy extract of clove- 
pink, and is so close an imitation of that spicy aroma that 
experts cannot detect the fraud. The odor of the real flower 
can be easily extracted with petroleum ether, but the sub- 
stitutes are so natural that the genuine oil and extract are 
not offered for sale. 



EXTRACT OF CLOVE-PINK. 

Extract of rose 5 ounces 

Extract of cassie 5 ounces 

Extract of jasmine 4 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 10 drachms 

Tincture of vanilla 10 drachms 

Tincture of ambrette 20 drachms 

Oil of cinnamon (pure) 15 drops 

Oil of cloves 30 drops 

Oil of petit-grain 15 drops 

Orange-flower water, triple 2^ ounces 

Alcohol 2>^ ounces 

PURE EXTRACT OF PINK. 

Oil of pink i ounce 

Rectified spirit i pint 

Mix, and agitate together till thoroughly united. A good 
and simple imitation of the pure extract, sold under many 
fanciful names, follows: 



THE WOMAN BKAtJTIFUL. 

EXTSAzr rz:iiz75. 

Cir-a~ on (bruised/ i54 ounces 

Cloves ^ otmce 

Rr:i:£el soiri: i pint 



H.-Ci-iJLi\,\_l. 



ferably in the dark tin- 

e — for a week to digest. 



being frequently 



jx--->^ i *_*x Jii.j:.i-x_-i.£V"_jriL, 



I pint 



_:::;:.: t :: ivr.-r^r.h 14 drachms 

C :'. : : ; :::tr L.v:.:r.ii 1= drops 

The above is a ver>- lasting odor and commended 
for use in wardrobes, closets, and bureau-drawers. 

The powerful effect of one odor acting upon another is 
i"!/5:r£:ed in the deUghtful scent knc" :: as ■ R:r-le-e:ia. " 

■ ::/. zwes its peculiar fascination t: z'.it ar::::a of c.j.es 
combined with oil of larender : 



Roxz ziziiA : z : j^^zissiiiA, 

: : e::i'; errris 17 drachms 

:i Yaniiia 17 drachms 

of mnsk. 17 drachms 

ender (Mitcham) 9 drachms 

: ves ^ drachms 



Gil - r; 
AlcohoL 



EXTllACT OF 3(ITGXOX 



ms-root. 
rDnqnin.. 
enzoin. . . 

liole 



2^ ounces 



THE MAKING OF CHOICE EXTRACTS. 46 1 

EXTRACT OF FRANGIPANI. 

Extract of neroli i drachm 

Essence royale 3' drachms 

Oil of lavender. 5 drops 

Oil of cloves 5 drops 

Oil of rhodium 5 drops 

Civet (powdered) 10 grains 

Rectified spirits 4 ounces 

Digest a week as directed above for the extrait d'oeillet. 
This formerly very popular perfume has preserved from the 
time of the Crusades the name of a Roman family, a mem- 
ber of which invented a sweet-scented powder which was 
named after him. His grandson Mauritius Frangipani 
made the further discovery that by treating the powder with 
spirit of wine he could produce a fluid extract. Another 
formula for it is this : 



EXTRACT OF FRANGIPANI, NO. 2. 

Triple extract of neroli 10 ounces 

Double extract of rose 5 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 2^ ounces 

Tincture of vetivert 10 drachms 

Tincture of musk 10 drachms 

Oil of santal 15 drops 

Oil of neroli 15 drops 

Oil of rose 7 drops 

Rose-water, triple i ounce 

EXTRACT OF SWEET CLOVER. 

Triple extract of rose 10 ounces 

Double extract of cassie 10 ounces 

Tincture of musk i ounce 

Tincture of orris-root 5 ounces 

Tincture of ambrette 5 ounces 

Tincture of Tonquin 2}^ ounces 

Oil of petit-grain 2 drachms 

Oil of bergamot 4 drachms 

Oil of cloves I drachm 

Rose-water, triple 5 ounces 



462 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

EXTRACT OF TEA-ROSE. 

Extract of rose, triple 15 ounces 

Tincture of musk 10 drachms 

Tincture of ambergris 10 drachms 

Oil of neroli 15 drops 

Oil of rhodium 30 drops 

Rose-water, triple 2 ounces 

Oil of rhodium is extracted from rose-wood, and was 
formerly used to adulterate otto of roses. It gives a verv 
agreeable odor to the above bouquet, and it is always valu- 
able in sachet powders. 

EXTRACT OF EGLAXTIXE. 

Extract of rose (from pomade) i pint 

Extract of orange-flower 9 ounces 

Extract of cassie 9 ounces 

Essence of rose, triple 9 ounces 

Oil of lemon-grass 21 drops 

Oil of neroli 21 drops 

EXTRACT OF DAMASK-ROSE. 

Triple extract of rose Yz pint 

Double extract of rose >S pint 

Double extract of tuberose 5 ounces 

Tincture of orris-root 5 ounces 

Tincture of civet 2y2 ounces 

Oil of rhodium 2fS ounces 

Orange-ilower water 6 ounces 

The never-failing delight of a rose or pot-pourri jar is 
known only to its fortunate possessor : yet -it is easy to 
prepare one. and. once prepared, so easy to keep at the point 
of perfection, that the wonder is they are not more fre- 
quently enjoyed. The rose-petals should be gathered in the 
early morning, and tossed lightly on a table in a cool, air}' 
place, to lie till the dew' has dried off; then put them in a 
large stone jar, sprinkling a little salt over half-inch layers 
of the petals. This can be added to from morning to mom- 



TO FILL A POT-POURRI JAR. 463 

iiig till enough roses for your purpose have been gathered; 
let them stand in the jar for ten days after the last are put in, 
stirring the whole every morning. Have an ounce each of 
cloves and allspice, coarsely ground, and as much stick cin- 
namon, broken and shredded fine w^ith the fingers ; transfer 
the rose-petals to another jar, and scatter the spices, mixed 
together, in layers alternately with the flowers. Cover the 
jar tightly and let it stand in a dark place for three weeks, 
when the stock will be ready for the permanent jar. This 
may be as handsome and sumptuous as you can afford, but 
nothing except costly cloisonne or rare hawthorne-ware is 
more beautiful than a simple blue-and-white Owari jar. 
Whatever it is it should be provided with a double cover. 

Have ready a quarter of an ounce each of mace, allspice, 
and cloves, all coarsely ground, — or pounded in a mortar, — 
half of a grated nutmeg, half an ounce of cinnamon, broken 
fine, one ounce of powdered orris-roo-t, and a quarter of a 
pound of dried lavender-flowers. Mix all together in a bowl, 
and proceed to fill the rose-jar with alternate layers of the 
" stock " and the mixture. A few drops each of several 
essential oils — rose, geranium, neroli, and bitter almond are 
good — should be dropped upon the layers as you progress, 
and over the whole pour an ounce of fine Cologne or rose 
extract. This is sufificient to fill two quart jars or one very 
large one, and it will keep for years. From time to time, 
various sweet things may be added to it, as a few tuberoses 
or a spray of heliotrope or a few leaves of the lemon 
citradora. If the jar be left open for a half-hour every day, 
it will fill your rooms with a delicate, indefinable, spicy 
fragrance, very refreshing and delightful, and unlike any 
other perfume. The aromas of the dififerent spices are so 
mingled and blended that all are modified, and the fragrance 
suggests all manner of bewitching, subtle, volatile spirits, 
without a suspicion of anything the most fastidious could 
call rank. 

That old-time favorite the sweet pea, which disputes 



464 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

popular favor with the violet, is another flower which should 
be grown for the perfume with great success in our country. 
Its extraction is confined almost exclusively to Southern 
France, where the process of infusion is used, but it is rarely 
offered for sale. The bouquet receiving its name is the fol- 
lowing compound : 

EXTILAIT DE POIS DE SEXTEUR. 
Extract of orange-flower (pomade) ... 10 ounces 

Extract of rose (pomade) 10 ounces 

Extract of tuberose (pomade) 10 ounces 

Tincture of vanilla 9 drachms 

The delightful fragrance of orange-flowers is sub- 
ject to great adulteration or imitation, the common sub- 
stitute being extract or essence of syringa ; but a better one, 
it is averred, could be furnished the perfumer from the 
white lupin, vast acreages of which perfume the air of 
Southern California and furnish the sweets which the busy 
bee transforms into so-called orange-flower honey. The 
best orange-flower extract is made from the pomade in the 
proportion of a half-pound to 17 ounces of brandy spirit. 
The oil of ncroli petale, the extract of which calls for four 
drachms to a quart of brandy spirit, is not to be compared 
to the former in delicacy. 

The Parisian perfumer Lentheric has invented a baton 
aromatiqiie for perfuming apartments which is greatly es- 
teemed for the delicate but penetrating scent of vanilla 
which pervades the air as it smoulders away. The batons 
are flexible sticks resembhng yellow whalebone, and twisted 
into a true-lover's-knot. one end of which is lighted. A'anilla 
is a gentle stimulant which is absolutely harmless and is 
agreeable to most people. As a flavor in food it has a tonic 
value, and is especially beneficial to delicate women. In 
some European countries a petit morccau of it is infused with 
tea: but in EngUnd a daintier fashion has been devised of 
having the flavoring extract incorporated m the clay of 



HOW TO PURIFY THE AIR WITH PERFUMES. 465 

which the china is made. When the tea service is heated a 
faint aroma of the sweet perfume is exhaled from teapot 
and cups. 

Fumigating pastils are made of powdered charcoal and 
aromatic substances, beaten up with some binding mucilage, 
unless there is sufficient resin in the compound to perform 
this office, and with a little nitre or saltpetre to delay their 
combustion. They are usually moulded in small cones. 
All the dry ingredients must be finely powdered, then the 
oils, if any, added, and lastly the whole reduced to a stiff, 
ductile mass with whatever liquid the formula calls for. 
Linden, alder, or willow charcoal makes the best pastils. 

FRENCH FUMIGATING PASTILS. 

Gum benzoin 2 ounces 

Cascarilla gratissima i ounce 

Gum tragacanth ^ ounce 

Olibanum {frankincense of Holy Writ), 

liquid iy2 ounces 

Styrax, liquid i ounce 

Nitrate of potassium 2 ounces 

Charcoal i^ pounds 

Enough water, or rose-water, to make a stifif mass. 
For Pastilles aux Fleurs d'Orange add to the above mix- 
ture 

Orange-powder 10 drachms 

Extract neroli-petale i^ drachm 

and beat the mass up with orange-flower water instead of 
rose-water. Or, to a half-pound of the mixture add this: 

PASTILLES A LA VANILLE. 

Powdered vanilla i ounce 

Powdered cloves 2 drachms 

Essence of vanilla 2 drachms 

Oil of cloves 15 drops 

Oil of cassia 15 drops 



466 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Beat the entire mass together with cinnamon-water. 
Still another formula commended by Cristiani as burning 
with " little smoke, and that a pleasant one," is this: 

FUMIGATING PASTILS, NO. 2. 

Olibanum 4 ounces 

Benzoin 4 ounces 

Oils of lavender, cloves, cinnamon, 
thyme, caraway, santal, rhodium, and 

geranium, of each i drachm 

Nitrate of potassium i ounce 

Powdered willow charcoal 2 pounds 

The nitrate is dissolved in gum tragacanth, and the whole 
mixed and moulded into cones as previously directed. 

Fumigating ribbons — ruban dc Bruges — of which French 
women are extravagantly fond, are merely fine, flat lamp- 
wicks dipped into a solution of nitrate of potassium (salt- 
petre) and dried, and then soaked in aromatic tinctures. A 
French formula requires about 6J drachms of saltpetre dis- 
solved in a pint of warm rose-water. The following tinc- 
tures are prepared and allowed to stand for one month be- 
fore using: 

BOTTLE NO. i. 

Teinture d'iris 10 ounces 

Gum benzoin 3>^ ounces 

Myrrh 5^ drachms 

BOTTLE NO. 2. 

Alcohol 10 ounces 

Musk 3^ drachms 

Essence de rose 35 drops 

After standing a month, with agitation at intervals, filter 
the tinctures and mix them together; then soak the wick in 
the perfume, after which it is dried and- rolled. There are 
many ornamental devices for containing the riihan de 
Bruges, but all are provided with a lamp burner in which 



THE PREPARATION OF PEAU D'ESPAGNE. 467 

the wick is inserted. After lighting, blow out the flame, 
and the wick will smoulder till it reaches the i^ietal clamp, 
when it dies out unless turned up. The quaint Roman and 
Pompeian lamps make most attractive incense-burners, 
and look as if restored to their original use. 

Pcau d'Espagne affords the most convenient method of 
perfuming many of woman's small belongings where a 
sachet would be in the way, and it has the additional advan- 
tage of holding its perfume for many years; so that it may 
be said to outlast generations of sachets, and for that rea- 
son well repays its cost or the trouble of preparing it. A 
selected piece of, fine, even chamois is put into the follow- 
ing mixture and left for three or four days : 

Oil of neroli i ^ ounces 

Oil of rose lYz ounces 

Oil of santal lYz ounces 

Oil of verveine ^ ounce 

Oil of bergamot ^ ounce 

Oil of lemon ^ ounce 

Oil of lavender ^ ounce 

Oil of cloves 150 grains 

Oil of cannelle 150 grains 

Oil of girofle 150 grains 

Tincture of tonka ^ ounce 

Dissolve a half-pound of benzoin in one quart of alcohol, 
then add the above oils. When the chamois is taken from 
the extract, press it gently with the hand, — don't wring it, — 
let it drain, then spread it, smoothest face down, on a pane 
of glass to dry. When perfectly dry the following paste is 
spread over the wrong side with a brush: 

Benzoic acid (sublimed) 150 grains 

Musk 15 grains 

Civet 15 grains 

Gum acacia i ounce 

Glycerine ^ ounce 

Water i^ ounces 



468 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

After this, the skin is folded in the centre, pressed very 
smooth with a desk-ruler or paper-knife, put under a press, 
and left for a week to dry. It is then ready to cut in con- 
venient pieces, and is usually covered with rich silk, or rib- 
bon. A piece under the writing-pad or slipped into the 
compartments of the writing-desk, with the stationery, gives 
a most agreeable perfume; and every woman can find a 
dozen or more ways where its use will be found delightful 
and convenient. It is said to be the only effective method 
of perfuming gloves. 

Another convenient aromatic, an old-time favorite, is 

PEARLS OF ROSES, OR PERFUMED BEADS. 

Red-rose petals (powdered) 4 ounces 

Carmine 20 grains 

Tincture of musk i drachm 

Mix with sufficient gum tragacanth to mould into 
spheres; pierce them before perfectly dry. They can be 
highly polished, and incised in pretty fashion. 

A fumigating powder to be burned by tossing it on a hot 
shovel or heated metal plate is compounded as follows: 
One ounce each of olibanum, — Boswellia serrata, or frank- 
incense, — cascarilla, benzoin, cloves, cinnamon, and thyme. 
Reduce the substances to fine powder, mix thoroughly, and 
keep in a closely covered jar. This is valuable as a disin- 
fectant in sick-rooms, especially in contagious fevers, and 
is a most agreeable method of purifying the air of an apart- 
ment. 

Frankincense as used in religious services is prepared as 
follows : 

Gum olibanum (powdered) 2 ounces 

Gum benzoin (powdered) ^ ounce 

Gum myrrh (powdered) 5^ ounce 

Prepared charcoal 5 ounces 

More agreeable, however, and easily prepared, is the fol- 



THE PERFUMING OF PERSONAL BELONGINGS. 469 

lowing formula for aromatic sticks, which, when slowly 
burning, perfume an apartment deHghtfully: 

CLOUX-FUMANTIS. 

Powdered santal-wood 2 ounces 

Powdered benzoin 2 ounces 



Powdered olibanum. 
Powdered cascarilla. 
Powdered cinnamon 

Powdered cloves 

Powdered nitre 



^ ounces 
ounce 
ounce 
ounce 
ounce 



Powdered charcoal 7 ounces 

Mix together, as directed for the pastiles, with gum 
tragacanth, and make into three-inch sticks. They can be 
thrust in the tiny silver taper-holders, or in a small narrow- 
throated vase when burning. Santal-wood is often erro- 
neously called sandal-wood, but the latter is without 
fragrance. It is of reddish-brown color, and is sometimes 
used by the chemist to tint cosmetics, but it is of most value 
to the dyer and the cabinet-maker. 'Tis curious that the 
two woods have been so long confounded. 

The modern woman has exceeded all others who have 
lived before her time in the dainty devices which she has 
invented for imparting a subtly delicate fragrance to all of 
her belongings. This began with tiny sachets fastened into 
the gown; then trunk trays and compartments of the 
bureau (or " dresser ") and chiffonier were provided with 
perfumed pads of India or other soft silk; and large ones 
were hung by loops of ribbon in the backs of wardrobes. 
And from this every box or receptacle for dainty feminine 
belongings has been fitted with its perfumed pad. Some 
people let their fancy run wild and use all sorts of odors; 
but, as I have before mentioned, critical and fastidious taste 
selects one perfume and adheres to it. 

The last expression of luxurious fancy is to cover the 
entire walls and ceiling of the gown closet with either violet- 
perfumed flannel or silk pads. These pads are made like 



47© THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

those for the bottoms of trunk-trays and bureau-drawers 
with a backing of cheese cloth. There is a thick layer of 
cotton batting, generously strewn with perfumed powder, 
and they are covered with silk in harmony with the per- 
fume ; violet shades for heliotrope ; violet or blue for violet ; 
yellows or orange-color for any of the citron odors, and 
pink or rose-color for rose. All large pads are tacked with 
baby ribbon, in tufts or tied in tiny bows, and the edges are 
fastened lightly, so they can be easily opened to renew the 
perfume. 

Silkoline answers very well for these sachets and pads, 
and it comes in so many pretty floral designs that it is easy 
to match flower and perfume, and secure a great deal of 
daintiness at small cost. Large, thin pads, eighteen to 
twenty inches square, covered alike on both sides, are con- 
venient to lay over the tops of bureau-drawers to receive 
loose things and preserve order; and they are very useful 
in packing. Violet-perfumed flannel is tacked in strips into 
tailor-made gowns, and inserted under hat-linings; while 
women who gratify every whim have had all the compart- 
ments as well as walls and ceihng of large closets lined and 
hung with it. 

The basis for most of these sweet-scented powders is 
Cyprus powder, made from reindeer moss, which is care- 
fully picked over and then reduced to a powder. It smells 
agreeably itself and is very retentive of odors, hence its use. 
To it are added any sweet scents desired in various pro- 
portions. You can take any desired quantity of Cyprus 
powder and strongly scent it with triple fragrant essences 
or with mixed essential oils ; and, if you wish, you can first 
reduce these to powder by trituration with a little lump 
sugar. 

An agreeable mixture on the violet order calls for 30 parts 
of Cyprus powder (you can use half the quantities and caH 
it ounces), 16 parts of orris-root, 6 parts of coriander seed, 
2 parts each of mace and violet-ebony, and i part each of 



PREPARATION OF SWEET-SCENTED POWDERS. 47 1 

cassia, cloves, musk-seed, and santal-wood. The substances 
must be coarsely powdered and mixed thoroughly: 

LAVENDER SACHET POWDER. 
Dried lavender-flowers (powdered) . lo ounces 

Benzoin (powdered) 3 ounces 

Cyprus powder.. 6 ounces 

Oil of lavender (Mitcham) i>^ drachms 

Sachets of the lavender flowers alone, or with the addition 
of a small quantity of orris-root and cloves, will keep away 
moths and impart a delicate fragrance which blends har- 
moniously with violet. 

POUDRE A L'CEILLET. 

Cyprus powder I pound 

Orris-root Vz pound 

Red-rose petals ^ pound 

Cloves .^ 2 ounces 

Musk-seed 2 ounces 

Oil of bergamot ^ drachm 

Essence de petit-grain Yz drachm 

This last formula is commended by Cooley to be used 
also as a cosmetic powder for the face or hair. For this 
purpose, however, it is usually largely diluted with starch or 
talcum-powder. 

FRANGIPANI SACHET POWDER. 

Orris-root 2 pounds 

Sage 4 ounces 

Santal-wood 4 ounces 

Vetiver 4 ounces 

Musk 2 drachms 

Civet I drachm 

Oil of neroli . . . .' 25 grains 

Oil of santal 25 grains 

Oil of rhodium 25 grains 

The oils can be triturated with the whole mass or be first 
mixed with the finely rasped santal-wood. 



472 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

HELIOTROPE SACHET POWDER. 

Rose-petals i pound 

Tonka beans Yz pound 

Orris-root 2 pounds 

Vanilla ^ pound 

Musk 2 drachms 

Oil of bitter almonds 15 grains 

Age improves all perfumes, if kept in a temperate atmos- 
phere and in a dark place. They must be closely stoppered 
to exclude the air, and all mixtures should stand two weeks 
or a month before using in order to blend and develop the 
full odor. 

Queen Elizabeth had a very keen appreciation of per- 
fumes, and her fondness for them gave great vogue to their 
use during her reign. Not merely the nobility, but all who 
could afford the indulgence, had '' sweet coffers," odorous 
with a favorite scent to hold the toilet accessories and 
cosmetics. The perfumes were contained in " casting bot- 
tles." The coffers were an important part of the furniture 
in the bedrooms of the wealthy. There is preserved in the 
South Kensington Museum an interesting perfume casket 
which once belonged to the virgin monarch. In its six 
compartments there are as many perfumes. Pomanders 
were carried in the pocket, swung from the girdle, or hung 
from the neck ; and in times of epidemics great faith was 
felt in the protection afforded by the aromatics they con- 
tained. Queen Elizabeth had a wonderful collection of 
them, many of which were given her as New Year's gifts. 
Gloves and shoes were perfumed, and there is a tradition 
that Elizabeth had a marvellous cloak of pe'au d'Esgagne. 
If it is in existence at the present time, what a very witchery 
of subtle fragrance must linger in its folds ! 

A satirical poem of the day records the craze thus : 

"Bring, oh bring your essence pot ! 
Amber, musk, and bergamot, 
Eau ^e chipre, eau de luce, 
Sanspareil, and citron juice." 



ENJOYMENT OF SWEET ODORS. 473 

Fashion is such a curious dame in the influence she ex- 
ercises upon the actions of women. Those who know the 
tonic and soothing virtue of balsam-fir piUows still use them, 
though it is more than a decade since the craze for them 
was an epidemic which swept over the entire land, spread- 
ing rapidly in whole villages and towns. It may be said 
to have started the couch-cushion cult ; but it disappeared 
itself as quickly as it came, and it is rare that one finds the 
refreshing spicy cushions now. They need renewing, of 
course, every two or three years ; but there is no pleasanter 
work to do in the m.ountains than to prepare the filling for 
such a pillow, and no more acceptable cushion can be placed 
under an aching, throbbing head. 

A substitute for perfume sachets in the gown is a per- 
fumed tablet which is carried in the pocket, slipped into 
the corsage and the palm of the glove, and scattered about 
anywhere. They come in peau d'Espagne, violet, white 
lilac, and heliotrope ; and the same genius has invented 
violet lozenges, one of which dropped in a basin of water 
perfumes it for the bath. 

Though there is a great difference in people as to sensi- 
tiveness to odors, the olfactory nerve is extremely suscepti- 
ble to cultivation ; and, although there is a penalty of 
suffering attached to a keen sense of smell, it is also a pro- 
tection, for usually vile effluvia are a menace to health. 
Since a most influential element in the perfecting of cul- 
tured refinement is the knowledge of the best mode of de- 
veloping the higher faculties we possess, we must learn to 
distinguish the melody of perfume as well as the harmony 
of color, form, and sound. Then we shall enjoy sweet odors 
equally with all other pleasures so liberally bestowed to 
gratify our senses and stimulate our imaginations. Imagina- 
tion is the flower-bordered path which leads us to conscious 
communication with intuition ; and, thence, to all the high- 
est thoughts and influences. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF TASTE IN DRESS AND ITS INFLUENCE 
UPON CHARACTER. 

"Thy gown ? why, ay: — Come, tailor, let us see 't. 

What's this ? a sleeve ? 'tis like a demi-cannon: 
What ! up and down, carv'd like an apple-tart ? 
Here's snip, and nip, and cut, and slish, and slash. 
Like to a censer in a barber's shop — 
Why, what o' devil's name, tailor, call'st thou this ? " 

" Ourselves are to ourselves the cause of ill; 
We may be independent if we will." 

" Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, 
But not express'd in fancy: rich, not gaudy." 

To urge women to give more thought to dress is super- 
fluous; but, at the very threshold of considering this prob- 
lem, it becomes imperatively necessary to point out to them 
that the manner of their thinking, their attitude toward the 
subject, is radically wrong. 

It is incontrovertible that a pretty woman can be trans- 
formed into a fright by the manner of her dressing; and 
as well established is the fact that the woman who has the 
taste and chic to present herself always gowned becomingly 
and suitably for the occasion possesses a charm and an in- 
fluence far more potent than mere, crude, unadorned 
beauty. Every picture is unfinished till set ofif by an appro- 

474 



INSATIATE DESIRE FOR NOVELTY A FUNDAMENTAL ERROR. 475 

priate frame; and experience has taught us all that the old 
aphorism which warns against the seductions of attempts 
to adorn beauty is as barren and misleading as that other 
anent its skin-deep character. In fact, the attitude of that 
age towards beauty and woman was wholly wrong, and the 
less we use its opinions as leading-strings the better for us. 

Now, the artist suits the frame to his picture, and requires 
of it that it shall bring out and enhance the beauties of the 
latter. Never does he , allow the frame to overshadow or 
distort it. But what does woman do? She goes to her 
tailor or dressmaker or the great department-shop and 
docilely — nay, too often, eagerly — accepts the newest thing 
in cut or fabric; and taste, sense, judgment, propriety, and 
suitability are all sacrificed to woman's inordinate craving 
for novelty. Therefore, no matter how tasteless or unbe- 
coming the latest invention of the uncultivated designer be, 
it is seized with avidity by the tall woman and the short, 
the obese and the thin. If the mode happen to be be- 
coming to any .of them, they are lucky, for that is only a 
minor object in the consideration of the designer, whose 
skill is aimed chiefly at conceiving something of striking 
originality. 

Incidentally, there are other objects, secrets of the trade, 
v/hich I will disclose to you: The more material consumed, 
so much the better; the more it is cut up, the better; the 
more easily the gown is defaced and the more perishable 
the stuf¥, the better. When criticising faults of this nature, 
as, the weight of the crinoline (horse-hair) linings and their 
cutting the silk linings, I have been repeatedly entreated: 
" Don't say anything against it. It is good for trade." 
There is no remedy for this condition of things as long as 
women persist in playing the game of " All we like sheep," 
and jump with eager abandon, the one after the other, in 
their rush to be fleeced. 

Could any other hypothesis account for their turning de- 
liberately from so convenient and so really artistic and 



476 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

becoming modes as those enjoyed two years ago and be- 
fore, to accept the apotheosis of ugUness and inconvenience 
which is regnant in this year of grace 1899? It is a mild 
and seh'-restrained criticism to say, that the style of dress 
generally worn at present certainly impeaches the intelli- 
gence of woman. 

Woman's taste should rule trade; and the successful mer- 
chant, tailor, and modiste should be those who have the in- 
telligence and artistic ability to anticipate the legitimate 
needs of that taste, and to assist in its development and im- 
provement. What is the actual situation? 

In their present attitude towards dress, women are con- 
stantly warring against themselves and their own healthy 
development. Dress is made the be-all and end-all of ex- 
istence: and they yield themselves pliant tools to be freely 
used as pegs upon which to hang any ridiculous thing that is 
pronounced *' all the rage *' : from a chain of gaudy beads, 
like unto those for which good Peter ]\Iinuit once cleverly 
bought the whole of ^Manhattan Island; to a skirt over- 
loaded with meaningless ornament, cut into objectless 
points which violate the harmony of its lines, flopping under 
the heels, and strained so tightly around the hips that acci- 
dents to the safety-pinned plaquet cause most embarrass- 
ing, when not horrifying, disclosures! 

One is forced to acknowledge the truth, however painful, 
that women do not in their dress evince any higher taste 
or principle or even greater concession to the law's of health 
to-day than centuries ago. In fact, they apply wisdom and 
inteUigence to every object except dress: but on this point 
are still the puppets of occasion and the vagaries of chang- 
ing seasons : and confront the vital questions of dress with 
no more appreciation of its importance than the babe in 
arms or the untutored savage. 

There are, of course, brilliant, but isolated, exceptions to 
this sweeping statement, but all rules are proved by ex- 
ceptions. And the most discouraging aspect of the prob- 



VICIOUS INFLUENCE OF RAPIDLY CHANGING MODES, 477 

lem is, that the women who have the leisure, the means, 
and the position to act independently, and have the power 
to evolve order out of chaos, if they seriously considered 
the subject, are the very ones who are most culpable for the 
continued subserviency of women to ephemeral fashions 
and all the demoralizing influences and consequences that 
follow in the train of devotion to so lawless and ungov- 
ernable a tyrant; who is, alas! amenable to no authority. 

Satire is the only weapon which has ever had power to 
turn Dame Fashion in her headlong, capricious course. 
And mammon has muzzled satire! These rapid changes in 
the modes of dress and all pertaining thereto may be 
favorable for commerce; but their influence upon life, in 
manifold ways, is positively vicious. 

American women — as a rule — have, heretofore, shown 
themselves possessed of an i^ituitive aesthetic sense and a 
quick perception of harmony, which for many years have 
guarded them from all crude violations of propriety and 
fitness of dress to time and occasion. But lured on by the 
shimmer of spangles and paste jewels and clever imitations 
of all the splendors the world has ever invented for the un- 
doing of nations, they have relegated these distinguished 
and refining characteristics to " innocuous desuetude " ; 
and embraced, with a very abandon of ardor, the over- 
elaboration of the present period, which has reached a point 
of vulgar ostentation. Instead of making dress a means of 
enhancing her charms, woman has allowed it to become 
the vehicle of her undoing. 

Dress, which formerly raised a sharply accentuated divid- 
ing line between the rich and the merely well-to-do, has 
to-day levelled all class lines ; except, of course, that the 
very poor can be distinguished from their more fortunate 
fellows. My meaning, however, is, I think, clear. Beauti- 
ful fabrics are so cheap that they are quite within the reach 
of people with the most modest regular incomes ; and what 
were formerly luxuries, reserved for the use and enjoyment 



478 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

of the wealthy, can be compassed by that sort of scrimping 
and saving which is misnamed economy. In the practice 
of which, many foohsh daughters of Eve wear out souls and 
bodies. 

I have only respect and encouragement for an earnest 
endeavor to " get on in the world." The grave, disastrous 
mistake is in what different people understand this to mean. 
When the ambition is solely to have means to spend more 
at the market, and to rival your friends and acquaintances 
in the variety and splendor of your clothes, it is not worth 
a farthing, and advances neither you nor your country nor 
humanity. Improvement in worldly affairs is only of value 
as it gives to men and women freedom to order their lives 
in accordance with higher needs, to ensure leisure for mental 
growth, and for the cultivation and practice of that sym- 
pathy for all human interests which develops, elevates, and 
refines character. 

There was never a time in the history of the world when 
women could, at small expense, be so charmingly and so 
attractively clothed; yet in all the periods chronicled by 
Racinet there have been few when dress was uglier, more 
unsuitable to time, place, and occasion, more inconvenient, 
and more immodest than it is to-day. How manifestly 
absurd it is to raise a shocked hue and cry over woman's 
wearing knickerbockers, yet utter no protest now when 
she is engaged in performing the degrading office of scaven- 
ger and street-cleaner with skirts that are skimped for cloth 
except where they ought not to have it ! They are skin- 
tight over the grossest and least attractive part of her figure, 
displaying it much more than knickerbockers possibly 
could. In many of these atrocious skirts, the whole outline 
of the thighs, even, can be seen as distinctly as those of the 
chorus girl in the spectacular operetta, where no attempt is 
made to drape them and they stand confessed in tights. 
When the jellying flesh of the obese woman Is thus dis- 
played, 'tis a lenient criticism to call it disgusting. 



PRINCIPLES OF BEAUTY AND TASTE IGNORED. 479 

It is a well-known tenet of artists and moralists that the 
mental — and consequently moral — effect of gazing upon the 
undraped human figure is not comparable to that of the 
partially draped one, especially in motion, which half-con- 
ceals, half-discloses charms not wholly confessed. A woman 
who attempted to walk down Broadway in her bathing-suit 
would be promptly arrested. Yet the average bathing-suit, 
such as a refined, dainty woman wears, is altogether more 
modest than the present, almost uniformly worn skirt, 
which, with neither beauty nor grace to recommend it, twists 
about the limbs and impedes motion in a manner to treble 
fatigue. 

We have relinquished, actually, in multitudes of cases, 
thrown away, exquisite fabrics of soft and pleasing com- 
binations, and others of positively sumptuous beauty, 
marvels of both designer's and weaver's skill unequalled 
heretofore in our century, for what ? « Plain stuffs, often of 
crudely aggressive color, that are made barbarous by over- 
elaboration of trimming. 

A fundamental law of art concerning all ornament is, 
" Nothing that is marked and distinct should ever trace a 
line that goes contrary to nature." Ornament which has 
no reason for being, Hke frills which simulate impossible 
aprons and festoons that look as if they had been pitched 
upon the gown from a great height, is an abomination to 
artistic, honest eyes. When dress becomes a mere matter 
of ostentatious display and rivalry it loses all its charm. 
" No matter how rare and priceless a thing is, its only value 
in a scheme of good dressing is to enhance the beauty of 
the wearer." 

Now, beauty is a purely relative thing, and from the mo- 
ment you admit this you acknowledge that a style which 
is beautiful on one woman may be even hideous on another. 
No woman should tolerate any mode which travesties her 
peculiarities or accentuates physical deviations from sym- 
metry and harmony. Yet you cannot walk far in any city 



480 THE WO-MAN BEAUTIFUL. 

street without meeting many women who are burlesques of 
themselves. Exaggeration is always vulgar, betraying the- 
uncultivated mind which cannot distinguish the delicate dis- 
tinctions that separate the beautiful and suitable from its 
caricature, the useless and absurd. 

AMiere are our women of elegance and taste who, 
formerly, suited their dress to time and occasion ? The 
increasingly brilliant luxury of dress on our streets for more 
than two years past, often rising to a point of brazenly 
vulgar ostentation, has been so painful a spectacle to think- 
ing Avomen of refinement as to suggest problems of the 
deepest ethical significance. It would be impossible for 
vice itself to flaunt more boldly than do the bedizened 
women and girls, tricked out in startling color combinations 
and loaded with superfluous ornament, whose costumes are 
considered successful in the exact proportion that they are 
audaciously novel. Strangers might well be excused if they 
made the mistake of believing they had stumbled into a dis- 
reputable quarter of the town. 

There is certainly something wrong with both the head 
and the heart of a respectable woman when she will so 
clothe herself as to cast the shadow of doubt upon her char- 
acter. Inevitably the bloom and the delicacy of a woman's 
mind and morals are dulled, if not rubbed off, in the process 
of striving on these lines to attain distinction as a smartly 
and elegantly gowned vroman. She is coarsened through 
and through in the process, and loses any nice sense of 
discrimination which she may originally have possessed 
and which would protect her from gross extravagances of 
color and form. It is a perilous path to tread, for nothing 
stifles the moral sense so completely as devotion to the 
love of display, — the insatiate longing to attract attention 
and admiration: and its consequence, the wonting one's 
self to bear with hardy sang froid the bold, not always ad- 
miring, gaze of the^vast unknown multitude. 

In the metropoHs^ this deplorable aspect of the question 



DEMORALIZING EFFECTS OF OVER-ELABORATION. 481 

confronts us more significantly than elsewhere, perhaps, 
because its opportunities draw to it, in addition to the 
*' Grand Army " of noble women who come here to wrest 
from fate independence and, mayhap, fortune, a vast horde 
of the weaker sisters; often very young, half-educated, and 
untrained. This class of girls come usually from good 
homes and are perfectly innocent when they begin life in 
this great mart for brains and ability. But, frequently, not 
necessity but the desire to earn money to gratify a love of 
dress brings them; and they are without fixed principles 
and sterling qualities of character, and their morals are im- 
perceptibly sapped by the temptations which surround 
them. We can none of us walk abroad or ride in the street- 
cars without encountering many pretty, attractive girls 
whose sidewise glances from the corners of their eyes, and 
coquettish lift of the gown skirt to display the first silk 
petticoat, betray the fact that they have started on the 
wrong road; and dress is the lure every time! The more 
showy it is on the street and in public places in the daytime 
the more demoralizing is its tendency. 

Elaborate dress should be confined to social functions 
and public amusements in the evening; and a woman who 
is compelled to use public means of transport in going to 
these should select her wardrobe accordingly. She can be 
becomingly and richly enough gowned for any occasion 
without violating les convenances ; but she should not wear, 
and it is certainly questionable if she can afford, the delicate 
and conspicuously showy costumes which the woman who 
rides in her carriage can indulge in. 

I was one of a group of cable-car passengers who wit- 
nessed this spectacle not many months ago: Time, broad 
daylight, late afternoon; enter a florid blonde of imposing 
proportions, wearing a pearl-white satin brocaded with a 
delicate all-over floral design in green and lavender with 
glints of gold-color. Ruches of narrow satin ribbon of the 
colors of the brocade meandered in meaningless scrolls all 



482 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

over the skirt. The bodice was almost entirely of white 
sewing-silk net like the heading to old-fashioned fringes. 
A black cloth jacket covered this when the person entered 
the car; but, lest we should miss any of her splendor, she 
removed it before sitting down, and the glint of the bare 
skin of arms and shoulders shone through the very open 
meshes of the net. It was so sumptuous a gown that it 
would have been suitable for the most elaborate evening 
function; but it would have startled one to encounter it in 
a street-car at any hour. 

Many writers deplore the influence of fashion magazines 
and papers upon women's taste; but, in recent years, much 
more has been done to corrupt it through the exaggerated 
fashion illustrations vv^hich have filled the Sunday news- 
papers. And for these man has been directly responsible, 
he being the employer, and the success of the artist — often 
a woman — depending entirely upon the audacity and con- 
spicuousness of the design and the distortion and deformity 
of the figure and posture. We could laugh at them, at 
first, for their absurdity; but when we saw women walking 
into this open trap set for their degradation, and making 
living caricatures of themselves, the bloom of delicacy and 
modesty insensibly effaced through the boldness which 
comes from imitating it, we realized the gravity of the peril 
to womanhood. It is really one of the cleverest uses that 
Satan ever laid. Descent is always easier than ascent, and 
this period of decadence has been reached in a headlong 
plunge. 

The only hope of a speedy Renaissance lies in rousing 
woman's sense of responsibihty in the matter, and bringing 
her to realize certain dangers which always beset her path. 
The daring woman is sure of a certain measure of success, 
because the very uncertainty of what she will do or wear 
next piques the interest of idle, blase men. And the poor 
little moths, who look on and see her apparent success, try 
to imitate the brilHant butterfly, never dreaming how bar- 



CAUSES PRECIPITATING THIS PERIOD OF DECADENCE. 483 

ren, paltry, and false is the whole show; for, in his heart 
of hearts, man does not admire vulgar ostentation and con- 
spicuousness. 

One man, who writes upon " The Ways of Women," is 
moved to express this criticism upon woman's dress as 
voicing that of his sex: '' Dress well, but dress plainly and 
neatly. We are convinced that women, with all their per- 
ception and native intuition, do not sufBciently recognize 
the importance of simplicity. We are sure that all men, 
even those who are vulgar themselves, admire those women 
most whose dress bears the traces of modesty and refine- 
ment. . . . Dress is often an index to the wearer's mind; 
and a * loud,' vulgar, fiaring dress may Itad to the erroneous 
conclusion that the wearer has a vulgar mind. And what- 
ever else you do, do not imitate man's attire. Men admire 
women because they are women, and anything which 
makes them less womanly must necessarily makes them less 
charming." 

A few weeks ago there was an earnest plaint in one of 
the daily papers from a man who asked for light upon a 
baffling puzzle: He wanted to know why women were so 
awkward in their abortive attempts to lift their trailing 
skirts from the pavement, and succeeded only, after wrap- 
ping one hand in a few folds, in clutching, for dear life, a 
part of the anatomy to which we do not generally draw the 
attention of the public, " the end of the spine " ? 

It has been a marvel to me, all the season, how one 
woman who saw another doing anything so manifestly 
inelegant, awkward, and vulgar could deliberately copy it. 
The real fact is that some unscrupulous idiot attempts to 
make herself conspicuous by a dashing absurdity ; but 
originality is not a characteristic of women, while they are 
as imitative as the monkey; so there are always many who 
are ready to copy with avidity anything which makes an- 
other conspicuous ; and, presto ! the whole flock of docile 
sheep follow. Such freaks of attitude, gesture, what not, 



484 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

are like contagious diseases, and education and intelligence 
are actually powerless to render a large class of women im- 
mune. The women who start such things — the sources of 
the infection — exercise a most deleterious, depraving influ- 
ence upon society. If only it could be quarantined against 
them as rigorously as the country would be quarantined 
against the bubonic plague, it would do much to elevate 
and refine womankind and, consequently, society. 

It was this type of mischief-making woman whom that 
keen critic Mr. Price Colher described in these words : 
" One of those divorce-breeding, and divorce-excusing 
w^omen wdio are bad without vice, and good by the grace of 
God." 

Until we are rid of all these follies, we must simply 
acknowledge that in matters of dress we have not advanced 
one jot from the most absurdly artificial and ridiculous 
periods. It is simply our good fortune that we are not 
wearing the embarrassing high-pointed hennin on our heads 
and rolling along the streets in the barrel-like farthingale 
of Queen Bess's time. It is chance, not principle, that pre- 
vents. The present period of retrogression and degenera- 
tion is the more to be regretted because it has followed 
upon, and exists coincidently with, the establishment of 
those favorable conditions of health and interest which have 
been striven for for generations: Utopian ideals first, but 
accomplished facts now. Yet w^e see woman jeopardizing 
the freedom she has won. by her present follies. 

Two years ago the outlook was much more hopeful. It 
seemed as if we were approaching a higher ideal of dress 
in correspondence with the physical, mental, and ethical ad- 
vancement of woman ; an ideal which would be a natural 
expression of her needs, and indispensable for her comfort. 
For a time all street, business, and travelling dress was in- 
fluenced by the new interests which had come into woman's 
life and were so transforming her. But despite her improved 
physical development, and after having known the comfort 



DEPLORABLE FOLLIES OF PRESENT MODES. 485 

and freedom of rational dress when clothed sensibly and 
artistically for the enjoyment of the healthful sports which 
have, within the last five years, become an important part of 
so many women's lives, at Fashion's nod she throws away 
her physical freedom as lightly as she would a last season's 
bauble ! 

We find her again compressing her superbly rounded 
figure into corsets five to six inches too small for her; par- 
ing down her hips because hips are " out of fashion," in 
short, no longer worn ; and hampering all the litheness and 
freedom of her walk by the sheath-like trailing gown. This 
train, too, adds to its iniquity by violating all the traditions 
of what a train should be, and mops the ground on the sides 
as well as behind. Ruskin said many years ago : '' I have 
lost much of the faith I once had in the common sense and 
personal delicacy of the present race of average English- 
women by seeing how they will allow their dresses to sweep 
the streets if it is the fashion to be scavengers ! " 

To one who has limitless faith in the ultimate conquest 
of all good and the triumph of the right, it has been painful 
to witness the postponement of the millenium by such a 
period of decadence when so much conquered territory has 
been lost. The amazing thing is that some influence — is it 
the power of the advertiser ? — has shut the mouths of the 
press, usually quick enough to assail any folly of woman; 
but singularly silent now when it never had a more shining 
and conspicuous mark for its cutting shafts of ridicule. 

Where is our smart tailor-made girl, the trig, well- 
groomed [a hateful expression, — newspaper English ; but 
vividly descriptive] creature who for so many seasons was 
the much envied and most admired woman on our streets ? 
We worship her memory only, now, for her dainty self is a 
thing of the past. Her place is occupied — note that I do 
not say filled — by a rainbow creature wdio has sacrificed all 
freedom of motion to the unnatural, inartistic, often gro- 
tesque, lines of her be-furbelowed gown. 'Tis impossible 



486 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

to call her well-groomed. That implies speckless daiminess, 
fine lines, ease. The gown of "99 is usually mussy, and 
frayed around the bottom, and always in need of brushing 
and cleaning. 

]\Iany times I have seen men look at these skirts, sweep- 
ing up unmentionable filth, with an expression on their 
faces which on shipboard would have speedily brought 
them the steward's attention. And every time I washed the 
woman within the skirt could see the expression also. 
Imagination cannot help wondering what can be the condi- 
tion of Ics dcssojis; and the menace to health from the 
microbe-laden dust thus swept along in clouds that pene- 
trate all parts of the clothing and the body itself, is so grave 
that it should not be ignored nor treated flippantly, but 
with the utmost seriousness. 

The pessimist might argue with forcible logic that 
Froude's prophecy of the decadence of free governments 
was on the verge of realization. If you would read a pic- 
ture so graphic that it might have' been drawn as descrip- 
tive of these very years which we are now living in our loved 
Republic, just glance over the first chapters of Froude's 
*' Caesar," describing Rome in the mad whirlpool of money- 
making, luxury-loving citizens who wrought her downfall. 

*' There are courses of action," says the historian, '"' which 
have uniformly produced the same results. ... It was an 
age in so many respects the counterpart of our own, the 
blossoming period of the old civilization, when the intellect 
was trained to the highest point which it could reach, and 
on the great subjects of human interest, on morals and 
politics, on poetry and art, even on religion itself and the 
speculative problems of life, men thought as we think, 
doubted as we doubt, argued as we argue, aspired and 
struggled after the same objects , 

" The- Romans ceased to believe, and in losing faith they 
became as steel when it is demagnetized: the spiritual 
quality was gone out of them, and the high society of Rome 



RESPONSIBILITY OF WOMAN FOR CORRECTION OF EVILS. 487 

itself became* a society of powerful animals with an enor- 
mous appetite for pleasure." 

I have quoted this because I wish to impress upon women 
the gravity of present conditions, and the fact that they are 
in a great measure responsible for them and for their cor- 
rection. The responsibility is both collective and individual. 
No woman is so insignificant that her example has not some 
influence; but there is such union and organization of 
women now, for purposes of intellectual and humanitarian 
work, that it should be an easy matter to wield an absolutely 
irresistible combined influence. 

A great work for the elevation of woman and the race 
can be accomplished when the women's clubs will take up 
for serious and earnest consideration the subject of The 
Ethical Influence of Dress. From the first it should be cut 
loose from any association whatever with any fads or regu- 
lations, healthful, rational, or otherwise, or anything sug- 
gesting uniformity or radical changes. These, many of 
them desirable in themselves, will be reached in time, by a 
healthful and natural growth of opinion, when women study 
the subject, logically, from an historical point of view, and 
are made to realize the enormous influence which their at- 
titude upon the subject exercises upon the prosperity and 
advancement of nations. 

" The difficulty of conduct does not lie in knowing what 
it is right to do, but in doing it when known." You can- 
not play with fire without being burned; you cannot imitate 
a bad model without corrupting yourself. The modest 
woman who yields to the persuasions of her milliner, 
bolstered by the assurances that it is " positively fetching," 
and selects a dare-devil hat, grows insensibly used to the 
bold attention it attracts to her, and ends by rather liking 
it. Exaggeration always runs a headlong career, plunging 
from one extreme to another which is more barbarous, 
never stopping short of caricature and monstrous caprice. 

The influence of dress is far-reaching. It modifies a 



488 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

country's literature, ideas, and language; it is felt in every 
branch of its art, which it perverts and degrades when it 
does not elevate it; and a nation's economical condition is 
most powerfully affected thereby. 

Whole towns spring up and flourish upon the vogue 
given to a single fabric, as at Saltaire when Titus Salt suc- 
ceeded in producing a desirable stuff from the alpaca wool 
imported into England from Buenos Ayres. Its popularity 
continued for twenty years. Then Fashion ordered closely 
clinging gowns, and soft Eastern materials, cashmeres, 
crapes, and diaphanous tissues took the place of alpaca; 
and, in consequence, the factories at Saltaire were shut 
down, and the prosperous little town came to need and des- 
titution. In the same way the immense interests involved 
in the manufacture of shawls, in France, England, and Scot- 
land, have during the past twenty-five years seen their trade 
almost entirely extinguished, and faced ruin w^here they 
could not divert their '' plants " to other fabrications. 

The genius that anticipates or fills a need makes a fortune 
out of supplying it. And only four years ago the money 
made in manufacturing fibre chamois and spent in adver- 
tising it, precipitated -upon women the period of the exag- 
gerated use of such stiff inter-linings. Literally, hay was 
made while the sun shone, in this case; for anything so 
artificial, so heavy, and so inconvenient was necessarily 
short-lived. But the very effort to increase the trade by 
using it in manifestly absurd ways, as to line sleeves, has- 
tened its disuse; and women, by lending themselves to the 
trick and expanding their sleeves till they became weapons 
of aggression, threw into disgrace a feature of their gowns 
that had been more picturesque and universally becoming 
than any style that had been in vogue for over a half- 
century. 

The perfectly tight-fitting sleeve is becoming to but a 
very few women, and even they would look better with one 
that was slightly puffed or a gigot; while to the vast rank 



OxMINOUS WARNINGS OF HISTORY. 489 

and file of women it is trying from the mere point of un- 
becomingness to hideousness. The outlines of the tall, thin 
woman are accentuated till her arms have a spidery sugges- 
tion, while every pound of the obese woman's flesh is 
trebled. The hardness and rigidity of outline of the close 
sleeve are especially trying to women of middle age and 
older; and the artistic, puffed sleeve takes off from ten to 
twenty years from some women's ages. 

Economically considered, however, of vaster significance 
than mere local factory interests which affect a few thousand 
people, more or less, are waves of demoralizing exaggera- 
tion and intensity of expression in form, color, and orna- 
ment, like the present; which sweep in high tides over 
whole countries and debase the taste and morals of the peo- 
ple. We are making history, now; and the giddy pace of 
even the thoughtless ought to be arrested when attention is 
drawn to the curious parallel which is found to exist be- 
tween the essential characteristics of the modes of to-day 
and those of 1799. 

Beau Nash describes the dress of that period as " of un- 
usual splendor." Dress had made a precipitous plunge 
from Grecian simplicity to Oriental gorgeousness. Never 
had jewels been worn so lavishly in Paris. Long neck 
chains and girdles set with gems were conspicuous features; 
and not since the days of Queen Bess had woman's dress 
been so encrusted with jewelled embroidery and the glitter 
of metal threads. The mad riot of pleasure-seekers, the 
loose morals and lax manners in what, because of its wealth 
and position, was called " the highest society," smirched all 
the years following the French Revolution, and left its taint 
upon the early decades of this century. The history of the 
dress of the people, in that period, is the history of its 
morals, its intercourse, and its thoughts. We live again in 
its daily events when we picture the actors and their occu- 
pations. Judged by the same standard, how shall we appear 
to the historian of 1999? 



49^ THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

We really plume ourselves upon having stridden up the 
heights of progress and civilization in seven-league boots 
during the past quarter of a century; but, when the his- 
torical eye is focussed upon our era, what can the verdict 
be but one of amazement that a people wit4i such opportu- 
nities could so misuse them? What we have achieved will 
sink into insignificance before what we might have done. 

'' The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." 
And as long as women, whose responsibility and privilege 
it is to set the standard for the morality of the race, have 
no fixed principles governing them in a matter which ex- 
ercises the most powerful infiuence upon this, just so long 
will there be these cycles of decadence, — of " benefits for- 
got." Like the moon's influence upon the tides, so woman's 
dress is not merely the index of the morals of a nation, but 
is that impelling force which raises or lowers them. This 
influence, too, has increased enormously in the last half- 
century ; for class lines, especially in the United States, are 
well-nigh levelled, and means of communication are so fre- 
quent and so rapid that the most remote village has its tele- 
graphic, if not telephonic, finger on the pulse of the 
metropolis. Thus the tides search the very depths and the 
most remote creeks and inlets, leaving no creature unin- 
fluenced ! 

It has been said that true feminine weaknesses are in- 
curable, but I will not concede this. If I have seemed a 
severe critic, it is because I know of what woman is capable, 
and what immense injustice she heaps upon herself. It is 
a case of " While there is life there is hope." Always the 
penny-a-liner has practiced his pretty wit at her expense, as 
witness this fifteenth-century bit of verse : 

" Na preiching will gar them foirbeir 
To weir all thing that sinne provoikis, 
And all for newfangilness of geir." 

Now, as a matter of fact, in those days and even to the 
close of the eighteenth century, his lordship, man, who 



woman's dress affects the morals of a nation. 491 

smiles so superiorly upon the foibles of woman's vanity, 
went to so great extremes in dress that woman could but 
feebly imitate his follies and extravagance. Gloves were 
worn by men for many years before they were generally 
worn by women. The corset was worn as universally by 
men as by women, and the beau, military or civil, girt in his 
waist with the same reckless indifference to health and 
natural beauty as the weakest of her sex. When man wore 
lace, and he was extravagantly fond of this beautiful adorn- 
ment and a connoisseur of its value and quality, he could 
not lavish enough upon the upper part of his person, so he 
bunched it to dangle from his garters and on his shoe-tops, 
and round the tops of his boots ! O vanity ! thy name 
is not woman ! 

The route that freed man from this tyranny of capricious 
custom is open to women. It is but the exercise of that 
free-will which is the birthright of every human being. Our 
constantly changing fashions are but a confession of utmost 
weakness, indecision, and ignorance. With keen insight, 
Edmund Russell has said : '* We do not know enough when 
we get a good thing to keep it, like an actor who before he 
finishes one gesture begins another and expresses nothing." 

Grievous faults of the present period are that the shapes 
and outlines of gowns and hats are so hideous ; that color 
is so crude, vivid, and often aggressive ; that all laws of 
color-combination are violated ; that trimming is so lavishly 
and inartistically employed; and that street-dress is so un- 
suitable and conspicuous. The most elaborate gowns of 
delicate silks and diaphanous fabrics, worn with plume- 
laden picture-hats, whose only appropriate place of display 
is a garden-party or similar gay social function, are worn 
for shopping, paraded up and down the streets, and seen 
in hundreds on all the public water-excursions round about 
New York. 

Admirable taste has heretofore regulated woman's yacht- 
ing dress; gowns, wraps, and hats being perfectly suited 



492 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

for their use, and the yachting-woman has been a most chic 
and fascinating creature. But, yesterday, some women who 
attended, as guests on noted yachts, the Astor Cup Races, 
at Newport, wore chiffon gowns ! \Miat are we coming to ? 
The woman who wiU commit such a faii.\\pas should be 
constrained, for her own protection as weU as that of so- 
ciety. This barbaric and childish love of finery, which 
lacks any discretion in its use, has always come to the sur- 
face in periods like the present. 

In the sixteenth century, one Picolomini gave some good 
advice, couched in the form of a dialogue {La Bella Creanza 
dclle Donne), to the women of his day which is timely now. 
He attempted to adm.onish them of their errors in taste 
and judgment, and in so doing has contributed to this age 
a time-spanning mirror in which we see ourselves reflected : 
Dress, he declared, should be fitted to station in life and 
to means. '* The excellence of a new fashion must be judged 
by the two standards of richness and elegance. The rich- 
ness of a dress depends upon the fineness of the material, 
whether cloth, serge, or other tissue." All richness was 
without avail lacking elegance and taste. In form, a gar- 
ment should be ample and in flowing lines. The danger 
of mixing colors was dwelt upon, and the principle laid down 
that one color only should prevail in a costume, and that 
must suit the complexion. '' Red is generally a most pesti- 
lential color, and suits no complexion," is a dictum with 
which Lafcadio Hearn, who has been so impressed with the 
Japanese color-development, would cordially agree. 

Picolomini advised women of good form ta set the figure 
off to advantage by the lines of the gown, while those whom 
Nature had slighted were counselled to make good their 
short-comings by such artifices as could cleverly conceal 
them. All of which is one of the canons of good taste and 
good sense now, and always must be ; but. I wonder, will 
the fashion-moralist in 2399 a.d. still be laboring to induce 
women to practice the precept? 



THE BASIS OF REFORM. 493 

Our interesting chronicler has much to say about cos- 
metics and cleanhness, and insists " A gentlewoman ought 
to wash herself every few days in warm water perfumed with 
some sweet-swelling substance ; for a nice cleanliness gives 
a bloom to a woman's beauty." He noted, with much 
humor, absurd and affected ways of walking, and recom- 
mended the ladies to decide between the right and the wrong 
ways by means of their own good judgment, tact, and taste. 
The ruses of beauty and coquetry in their careers of social 
triumph were as varied, as subtle, — nay, often as unscrupu- 
lous, — as in our day ; and it would seem that the chief ex- 
ternal differences between those dames of long ago and the 
modern woman, who is now preparing to step into the new 
century, are, that the latter has, as a rule, nicer perceptions 
as to what cleanhness of person requires, and is not so apt 
to be bedaubed with baleful paints and cosmetics; but the 
former was much more rationally and artistically dressed, 
and bore herself more gracefully. 

The modern dress of woman does not lack ideas that are, 
in themselves, beautiful, convenient, and artistic ; the error 
is in their application, and in the gross exaggerations which 
are introduced purely for the sake of novelty. Decoration 
should not assert itself, but increase the beauty of the object 
decorated. What is needed ? Sincerity, free-will, and in- 
dependence of judgment ; a triune of power before which 
irrational, whimsical conceits would tumble like straw dum- 
mies. 

Why do we not concede that an intelligence greater than 
ours created the human body, adapting it with exceeding 
great love and care to its divinely appointed purpose; and, 
accepting it with gratitude, develop it to the best of our 
ability according to natural, which is divine, law? When 
we acknowledge this as the highest aim, it will be the uni- 
versally accepted fundamental law of taste; and we shall 
have a standard which we can, if we will, make as im- 
mutable as the laws of the Medes and Persians, that will 



494 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

become the needed restraint to the insane vagaries of Fash- 
ion which periodically transform women into absolutely 
grotesque objects. '' Taste is nothing else than good sense 
delicately put in force." 

At least we can set our faces against all ugliness and train 
ourselves to recognize it; and perversion of form is ugli- 
ness, and senseless foolish ornament as well. Every in- 
stinct of ambition and art should prompt us to strive for 
individuality, and this would prevent inane acceptance of 
every hideous device pronounced " all the rage." General 
conformity of dress obscures individuality and tends to pro- 
duce similarity of expression and caste of countenance. And 
this tendency is alarmingly increased when, as now, there 
are fashions even in the expression of the mouth. 

This is a fact, not idle rumor nor the humorous vaporings 
of the space-wTiters. It came in at the Horse Show, in the 
autumn of '98, and it is supposed to be a smile. The phys- 
ical detail is most unhygienic; but this causes not a mo- 
ment's hesitation on the part of Fashion's devotees, who 
sacrifice health on her altar without a tremor of doubt. The 
lips are held apart, showing a glittering double-row of teeth 
if they are fine; if not. the grin is not quite so expansive 
and the expression is analyzed as " innocent, wistful, won- 
dering." This vapid whim of the open mouth, coupled wdth 
the sidewise glances from the corners of the eyes, which ac- 
company the hats that are worn on the nose, has the curious 
levelling effect of effacing in large measure individual traits, 
and making many women look as much alike as peas in a 
pod. 

This result of uniformity in headgear and the dressing of 
the hair w^as noticed by \'iolet-le-Duc with reference to the 
women of the fifteenth century, when they were wearing the 
hennin, with all the hair drawn severely away from the face 
and hidden beneath it. Miss Hill says: " Priests thundered 
against it in the pulpit, and poets satirized it, all to no pur- 
pose." It first appeared in France in 1428, and seems to 



INDIVIDUALITY A FACTOR IN SUCCESSFUL DRESSING. 495 

have come from Flanders and adjacent French provinces, 
where it was popularized before it was worn in Paris. In 
Normandy it was called the cauchoisc; and there the women 
clung to it for centuries, not relinquishing it till a compara- 
tively recent time. 

Emerson furnishes a clew to the inception of these fads 
and freaks of manner, expression, gesture, and form, which 
seize upon whole communities and circles of society from 
time to time. He says: ''No style adopted into the eti- 
quette of courts, but was first the whim and mere action of 
some brilliant woman, who charmed beholders by this new 
expression, and made it remembered and copied." 

Lack of individuality indicates a lack of development. 
Science teaches that the higher the scale of advancement, 
evolution, what you will, the greater the specialization: 
*' Refined individuality is a recent and still unfolding 
flower." But we recognize it as a component part of all 
distinguished personal success. 

There should be one fixed, unalterable aim held before 
every woman as the object to be attained in the selection of 
her clothing; it is her real opportunity for distinction and 
always open to her: It should set her off to the best ad- 
vantage possible. The dumpy woman who barrel-hoops 
herself in encircling bands of trimming, and her six-foot sis- 
ter who serpentines herself in striking stripes that add more 
than a cubit to her stature, are conspicuous misfits wherever 
they are placed. " 'Tis the average woman's business for the 
benefit of the community in which she lives to look her 
best." No woman should make herself 

" . . . a sight to shake 
The midriff of despair with laughter." 

I saw, recently, a woman with a sharp-pointed nose and 
angular chin wearing a drab cloth gown with a long over- 
skirt cut in four or a half-dozen points that sagged at in- 
tervals round her figure. These points seemed as if 



49^ THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

weighted to nose and chin, pulling them down in sharp 
peaks ; and a woman who. becomingly dressed, would have 
had a certain air of refined dignity, looked like a hawk after 
a tussel in which its plumage and temper had both been 
severely rumpled. Every woman has some points of at- 
traction; and that woman who discovers her own de- 
ficiencies and adapts her dress to conceal instead of accen- 
tuate them, at the same time brings out her good points and 
will make a better impression than many a prettier woman 
who has dressed herself according to the last novelty in 
color and form. 

Dress cannot impart grace, beauty, or dignity to one 
lacking these advantages, but it can greatly enhance them. 
And it has infinite power to conceal and destroy these when 
it does not accomplish its legitimate purpose. It is easy to 
mitigate, if not entirely conceal, most imperfections by taste 
and cleverness in the selection of one's clothes; and it is 
necessary for a woman to study herself with the eyes of an 
impartial but inexorable critic. 'Tis an immutable law of 
a normal w^oman's being to desire to be lovely or at least 
comely, and such sharp self-examination will school and de- 
velop her critical faculty till she will, with unerring instinct, 
discover the best methods of attaining that individuality 
which shall be her charm and attraction. " The woman 
who fails to make a personal analysis, to recognize and un- 
derstand her ' type,' will do random work all her life. . . . 
The tint of the complexion, the color of the hair and eyes, 
are but a small part of the personnel. The whole physique, 
the build of the body, mind, manner, will, nerve, — all must 
be taken into account in the general make-up. The type is 
a fact fixed and inevitable; the wise woman accepts it, and 
thus sets herself to develop and emphasize its beauties, to 
overshadow and efface its defects." 

Neither art, as commonly interpreted, nor fashion should 
be accepted unconditionally as arbitrary leaders. Taste has 
more than one aspect, and must consider occasion and use 



THE FORCE OF GOOD EXAMPLE IN HIGH POSITION. 497 

as well as proportion and combination. It is not taste 
unless it does! 

Women of wealth and position can release themselves 
from the thraldom of Fashion and become its arbiters if 
they so decree, instead of submitting like docile dolls to be 
display forms for the, modistes and couturieres. All power 
to direct the fickle turnings of this variable weather-vane 
rests with them, and the responsibility is great; for until 
the present aims and ambitions of the world are radically 
changed, they must ever be and remain brilliant objects of 
imitation to those struggling on the lower rungs of the so- 
cial ladder. What they reject will be rejected by the masses. 
Always middle classes have aped the dress of those above 
them. 

A crying evil is the fact that '' It is the object of most men 
and women to provide themselves with apparel that shall 
not denote their station, but the station of somebody richer 
and better placed." When Miss Tilly Bauer, of the East 
Side, reads that Mrs. T. wore a lavender chiffon gown on a 
yachting trip, she will strain all her resources and sew far 
into the night to compass a lavender lawn, much rufifled and 
trimmed with cheap lace, A pretty gown it will be when 
finished, and on the first Sunday it will be aired at Coney 
Island, for its owner has engagements through the week 
with an iron-hearted employer and her excursions are lim- 
ited to half-holidays and Sunday. 

If Tilly knew that it was bad form to wear anything on the 
water but serviceable stufifs like serge, flannel, and pique 
or crash, she would shun the lawn like temptation, and reap 
an infinite gain in comfort. This is one example of Mrs. 
T.'s responsibility, but thousands could be cited. 

Out of the folly of the present there should spring, as a 
Renaissance in the new century, a style of dress based upon 
g,eneral principles so broad and conservative that it could 
be adapted to every individual peculiarity and need. Then 
clothes would be subordhiated to the woman, not the woman 



498 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

to her garb. Of course, no wide-awake, broad-minded 
woman either asks or expects that any mode can be fixed 
or permanent, as among the Oriental nations ; but forms 
should never retrograde, and acknowledged principles gov- 
erning them would prove valuable sheet-anchors which 
would secure a happy measure of permanence and forever 
bar the danger of ephemeralness. Dress, to express life 
and perform the service which is its modern duty,, enhanc- 
ing the beauty and charm oi woman, should be a slow evo- 
lution from beautiful modes to more artistic and convenient 
ones. 

There would then be very much more variety than there 
is now, and very little uniformity, for the expression of in- 
dividual taste and character would lessen the physical re- 
semblances which are under present influences accentuated. 
In the matter of hats for the past decade, all the canons of 
taste and art have been ruthlessly violated, and women have 
consented to make guys of themselves as unresistingly as 
if they were stone blind. Many a pretty woman has been 
^' snufifed-out " by the heterogeneous mass of conglomerate 
materials, nodding to all points of the compass, which she 
has proudly borne under the belief that it was a " picture- 
hat." 

George Fleming writes with appreciative wit on this sub- 
ject {" For Plain Women Only "), and advises that a woman 
should no more accept a bonnet " which she had neither 
devised, suggested, nor selected, than she would accept a 
husband because that was the style of man people were mar- 
rying this spring." 

Her headgear is the most important part of a woman's 
street-costume, and next to it come the gloves and dressing 
of the feet. Any untidiness or incongruity in the latter will 
spoil the handsomest gown; and their perfection, which 
covers fit, neatness, and suitability, will impart to the plain- 
est and cheapest one an attractive elegance and refinement. 
Bright colors in gloves should always be shunned Hke small- 



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF TASTEFUL DRESSING. 499 

pox. When a woman takes pride in drawing gloves of a 
sanguinary hue over her digits the most charitable con- 
clusion is that she is color bhnd. 

It is in doubtful taste to wear white kid gloves for the 
street and shopping, and when Dame Fashion directs this 
unsuitable use, her sensible daughters laugh in her face and 
suggest that she is in her dotage. The only white gloves 
that are suitable for this hard use are the chamois which 
can be tossed into the wash-bowl and washed as easily as a 
wash-rag whenever they are soiled. A little ammonia and 
a spoonful of pearline should be put in the water, and the 
gloves are softer when rinsed in soapy water as well. With 
a half-dozen pair of white or buff chamois gloves, a bright, 
economical girl can keep herself neatly gloved all the season. 
And nothing was ever more comfortable for warm weather 
nor in better taste to wear with summer gowns. 

White shoes can be worn in the daytime and on the street 
only in the country and at pleasure resorts. Formerly, 
russet and tan shoes were confined to summer use, but they 
hardly disappear now in mid-winter. Their comfort makes 
them the most desirable walking-shoe that can be worn, 
and if only women would demand ooze calf, in these colors 
and in dark gray or dust-color, they would have the best 
leather for the foot that has ever yet been used. There is so 
little call for it now, because of the mistaken preference for 
exceedingly high polish, that those who would from choice 
always wear it have difficulty in finding it. Russet shoes 
should be worn only with street, outing, and tra.veUing 
gowns. Of course, when I say street-gowns, I mean such 
as good taste recognizes as suitable for the purpose; plain, 
qiiiet ones of cloth, serge, or fancy wools, and the heavy 
summer cottons or linens, — neat tailor-gowns. 

Sense seems to have become blurred entirely as to the 
appropriate use of fabrics. Silks beautiful in themselves 
are worn at such unsuitable times as to be tawdry; and 
stuffs are manipulated and combined with atrocious disre- 



500 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

gard for propriety and good taste. Fur gains nothing by 
applications of embroidery or from being flounced with lace 
or accordion-plaited chifton. Hudson Bay sable, that in 
itself makes a rich and luxurious wrap, has been cut into 
wide circular flounces and mounted on satin foundations, 
alternating with wide frills of Chantilly lace or plaited 
chifton. A few years ago we should have said absurdity 
could go no further, but the mind is prepared for anything 
now. Unless the good sense and taste of women can be 
aroused there is no limit. As long as some one can be found 
who will buy and wear such abnormal monstrosities, just 
so long will they be made. We may be offered accordion- 
plaited fur next season. That is about the only unsuitable 
manipulation to which it has not been distorted. 

Till the reign of what will be known in history as the 
" tailor-made " gown, women had never been clothed in a 
fashion which united so many advantages. In addition to 
its refined elegance, it possessed every element of utility, and 
there was such variety in cut of basque, coat, jacket, and 
blazer, that every style and form could be set off to ad- 
vantage. It was, par excellence, the best, most becoming, 
and most convenient utility-gown that all the chronicle of 
Fashion can show. The error that women committed with 
it, was to corrupt it by the addition of masculine touches 
which increased its severity, finally coarsened it. and ended 
by making it as uncomfortable as a suit of armor. 

The stiffly starched collars, cuffs, chemisettes, and shirt- 
fronts are a modern invention for discomfort and for re- 
straining the free motion of the human body, of which we 
have no need to rob men. They themselves leave them off 
with alacrity when free to don outing-shirts and be com- 
fortable : and why should women pick up the discarded 
instruments of torture, which are as well beauty-destroyers ? 
Least of all should they be worn on the wheel, where dress 
should be made the acme of comfort and freedom. The 
rarity of a pretty white throat is due to this long reign of the 



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF TASTEFUL DRESSING. 5OI 

Stiff linen collar, which both chafes and browns the skin, and 
sometimes sets up an ugly inflammation, leaving a scar that 
is difficult to efface. 

Women should give real study to the matter of throat 
dressing and especially shun uniformity. The short neck 
cannot wear very full dressing; the long one requires it. 
There are so many attractive ways of using ribbons and 
lace and ruching that something can always be devised that 
is both becoming and individual. And this is just the point 
where the feminine touches, instead of the masculine, 
should be given to the '' tailor-made." Ribbons and real 
lace and soft white lawn, mull, and tulle ties are things 
which should never go out of fashion for neck-dressing. 
What species of blindness is it, that induces a girl to dis- 
card a pretty ribbon, the color of her eyes, to muffle her 
throat in a pique plaster (called, I beheve, a '' four-in-hand," 
but they always looked to me like -a whole circus-band 
team) which spreads expansively over her whole bosom, 
and is no more decorative than a Turkish bath-towel would 
be? 

Colors have more than an optical character; they have, 
from their close connection with emotion and the feelings 
they rouse, a decidedly moral one. Some one has said that 
" Color is the moral element of the material world," but 
Fashion is most prone to misuse it. She either discards 
it utterly, and humanity goes in droves of melancholy 
black-and-white mediocrity, or else she orders all to prance 
to the mad measures of a harlequin dance; and dims the 
sun's rays with her garish reds, blues, and purples. 

So recently as '93, Mrs, Oliphant speaks of no color that 
is not neutral affronting the eye of heaven, and considered 
it " a great gain to the world." She thought the '' sub- 
dued tones of dark blues, dark greens, and soft neutral 
tints " were the natural expression of greater refinement in 
thought and feeling, and in consonance with woman's 
higher mental status. About the same time, Miss Hill, also 



502 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

having in mind London, whose fashions we copy as much 
as those of Paris, thought that '' The omnibus and tram- 
car have much to answer for in the toning down of our 
costume from gay to grave. In these democratic days 
everybody rides in pubHc vehicles, and this custom not only 
tends to produce a sober uniformity of dress, but is a great 
bulwark against any huge extravagance ol Fashion." Nous 
avons change tout cela! 

We have discarded exquisite stufifs in softly blended 
colors of Oriental richness, and patterns which had real 
motifs, for bright-hued, plain fabrics whose textures often 
had nothing to commend them except that they could serve 
as foundations for great elaboration of trimming. There 
is scant element of beauty in glace silks and satins or in any 
smoothly shiny stuffs. They are hard and pitiless. A 
smoothly fitted black satin gown is the portly, middle-aged 
woman's snare, increasing the rotundity of her too pon- 
derous flesh; and the patent-leather shoe performs the same 
disfiguring of^ce for the large foot; while, for insignificant 
flimsiness, a beflounced black taf¥eta gown cannot be 
mated. Only by artistic color and pattern can taffeta be 
made a desirable fabric for gowns, and always there must 
be something that is a better choice for the purpose. For 
linings, petticoats, and shirt-waists it is always useful, and 
the changeable, or " shot," were especially pretty and suit- 
able for the purpose. 

It marks a distinct retrogression in the scale of refine- 
ment when a people turn from delicate colors, in their cloth- 
ing and decoration, to the use of bright red, orange, yellow, 
purple, and green. It is only in a rudimentary stage of 
aesthetic feeling such as the child's and the untutored sav- 
age's that crudely bright, intense colors fail to repel. '' The 
emotional nature of the uncivilized savage is so deeply 
stirred by a bit of red calico that he will barter an elephant's 
tusk for its possession." 

Cultured vision seems especially to shrink from a strong 



THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF COLOR. 50J 

blaze of red. Speaking of this color Lafcadio Hearn says: 
" The more refined and humane a civilization becomes, the 
less are displays of this color tolerated in its cultivated cir- 
cles . . . but the civilized adult dislikes most of the vivid 
colors: they exasperate his nerves like an excessive crash 
of brass and drums during a cheap orchestral performance." 
Students of color theories believe that there is something 
crude and untamed, when not cruel, an index of physical de- 
velopment without spiritual and ethical, in the nature which 
delights in vermillion and scarlet; and they cite the " bloody 
Jeffries " who when in his crudest moods wore a red cap! 
The Bible gives to sin the color of scarlet. 

The coarsest and warmest of visible rays in the solar 
spectrum is red; the coolest and most refined, violet. The 
finest colors are most elastic and, hence, refracted farther 
to one side by passing through the prism. Above the violet 
there is a vast range of color rays which are too exquisitely 
fine for ordinary vision to see them. Below red there is the 
invisible heat ray called thermal, of which we have cog- 
nizance only in the vibrations of the air. Mr. Babbitt 
(" Principles of Light and Color ") says of invisible color 
rays: "These exquisite hues are manifestations of ter- 
restrial, psychological, and physiological forces, which 
open to us many of the mystic laws of power in the inner 
world of things. They are so penetrating as to pass 
through most substances which are opaque as easily as or- 
dinary light passes through glass ; consequently those who 
can develop the inner vision sufficiently to get into rapport 
with them can see a new vv^orld of forces." 

It is not a mere matter of imagination when we speak of 
red, orange, yellow, and their gradations as hot. Experi- 
ment has proved that thermal produces in two minutes and 
a half eighteen times as much heat-effect as blue in three 
minutes, while violet is still colder. A small amount of blue 
combined with these hot colors increases the heat because 
it kindles into activity, through chemical affinity, the oppo- 



5o4 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

site principle in red. It is on this principle that a dash of 
cold water creates a glow of warmth by reaction, and elec- 
tricity, which is a refined grade of cold, can excite the great- 
est heat known to man. A white heat is produced by com- 
bining the electrical blue with the warmer colors. 

It has been noticed that only the most highly civilized 
races are capable of deriving pleasure from blue in its 
purest state. Although blue is a sacred color, the dominant 
emotions it arouses are those of gladness and tenderness; 
Lafcadio Hearn believes that blue evokes " a vivacious 
thrill, — a tone of emotional activity unmistakably related 
to the higher zones of sentiency and imagination." It is 
the color of divinity, the color pantheistic, the color ethical, 
" thrilling most deeply into those structures of thought 
to which belong our sentiments of reverence and justice, of 
duty and aspiration." All the highest and happiest emo- 
tions of the soul are embodied in those which visions of blue 
arouse. 

Thus, color has to be considered not only with reference 
to its becomingness, but also its harmony with the character 
and its subtle effect, in consequence, upon the health and 
emotions. It is a most interesting and fascinating study in 
its complex influences, and chromopathy, which is the art 
of healing by means of light and color, would help a great 
many women to a better understanding of their physical 
and emotional idiosyncracies and to the ways and means 
of developing these on the highest lines. 

Miss Nethersole says : '' I have learned from nature, the 
greatest of all teachers, that as every feeling may be ex- 
pressed in a chord of music, so each emotion of the heart 
may be shown by a color." When she first went on the 
stage, she chose handsome and becoming costumes without 
regard to the symbolism of color, but she found that they 
jarred upon her emotions and hampered their full expres- 
sion. She analyzes her toilettes in " The Termagant " thus : 
In the first act, " I wear a green gown, because the girl is 



THE MORAL INFLUENCE OF COLOR. 505 

just like a tender shoot or a flower, responsive to every pass- 
ing breeze, swaying and bowing at the will of the wind. 
Scarlet represents the blood — the typification of strength, 
virility, utter sensuousness. Yellow is the color of jealousy, 
of pain and discord in the inner nature." 

All persons, however, are not affected by yellow in this 
way. Certain shades of the color have a very cheering effect 
upon many natures, dispelling the '' blue devils " of melan- 
choly and depression, like rays of sunshine after a thunder 
storm. There are pale tones of yellow, especially creamy 
ones, that can be used by blondes with most artistic effect ; 
and the deeper shades as well can be worn by the Titian- 
haired woman. She should eschew all blues, and especially 
if she has blue eyes, because they deepen the color of her 
eyes and render the contrast with her hair unpleasant. Often 
a color that is not becoming in itself can be adapted by in- 
terposing white between it and the face. This, however, is 
not so advisable as to avoid the color. 

Of all the artificial influences of Fashion the vogue given 
to one or more colors every season is most absurd ; as if 
women could change their complexions and their hair and 
eyes with the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. Color, if ill- 
suited, has the power to eclipse a beautiful face. Yet one 
season, all the shop windows blossom out in ribbons, flow- 
ers, feathers, silks, and hats of corn-flower blue ; and every 
type of woman, from the ashen-haired blonde to the mulatto, 
wears it in some form. Again, it is every shade of red that 
the dyer's skill can produce, and blonde and brime alike 
wear them all till the town is painted red. 

Now, color is too precious a quality and an influence to 
treat in this frivolous fashion. We cannot afford to discard 
any color if it is really good in itself. When it is crudely 
intense, as certain vivid shades of purple, its corresponding 
blue, and magenta, it adds nothing to the beauty of women, 
is obnoxious in house-furnishings, wars with all other colors, 
and thus contributes nothing to the harmony or pleasure 



5o6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL, 

of life ; so we are distinctly better off without it. When the 
so-called fade colors, soft, delicate shades of pure colors, 
and their as delicate combinations, were restored to favor a 
few years ago, the beauty, attractiveness, and refinement of 
woman's dress gained perceptibly ; therefore, these she 
cannot afford to lose. They are qualities to be retained till 
something better, not inferior, takes their place* 

Every woman can achieve a certain individuality and 
distinction by confining herself to one or two colors; and, 
when close economy is necessary, this is a very important 
aid in securing a well-appointed wardrobe at small expense. 
For the countless little additions to the toilette — which are 
of much importance — will thus harmonize, and so many 
more combinations are possible. If there are certain har- 
monies of color that are trying to the many but suit you 
perfectly, you throw away a great advantage in not appro- 
priating what you can thus make quite your own. 

There are many types that find their real complementary 
color in one only, but, more than half the time^ appear to 
great disadvantage because their insatiate craving for novelty 
induces them to dare the whole scale of the solar spectrum. 
It must be concluded that the color sense of these women 
is neither delicate nor accurate. They see a certain color 
and shade efifective on another, and. even if she be a totahy 
different type, they immediately essay to copy the effect. 
The fundamental rule which should govern all is to deter- 
mine first, which of the three primary colors, red, yellow-, 
and blue, harmonizes best with the complexion. There are 
three forms of chromatic harmony : the harmony of grada- 
tion by progression, where one color blends into another 
as in the rainbow; the harmony of analogy, formed by 
combining shades of a color ; and the harmony of contrast, 
by associating complementary colors w^hich develop each 
other's purity of tone and give a spirited contrast. Of the 
primary colors, each contrasts with that formed by the union 
of the other two : thus, red and green ; blue and orange; 



PRINCIPLES OF COLOR-HARMONY. 507 

yellow and purple. Contrasting colors harmonize best 
when of corresponding shades. 

Some of the most beautiful effects in dressing are pro- 
duced by the harmony of analogy, but this does not mean 
that the pale, colorless woman shall lessen the life in her 
face by matching it with grays and cold browns ; nor should 
she extinguish it by trying to reflect color into it from bril- 
liant hues which neither harmonize nor contrast with it. The 
very dark blues and greens make a friendly background for 
her, and glossy blacks softened with lace are becoming; 
and creamy white, and pale pinks and blues furnish all the 
variety in colors she should allow herself to be tempted by. 
If she confine herself to these, she can make her costumes 
always effective; so the criticism will be, " It looks exactly 
like you," not " What a lovely gown ! " This is the crucial 
blunder the majority of women make. They see a beautiful 
gown, and straightway they buy it or copy it ; with the re- 
sult that it obscures the woman as completely as the fog 
does the sun. 

Some women find their most effective key by matching 
the hair as nearly as possible for day dressing, and the eyes 
or the flesh tints for evening ; but this is merely a hint which 
finds effective application only for exceptional types. With 
dark brown hair, especially if it has the rich golden-bronze 
glints, browns and sometimes russets make a perfect 
symphony of color; and pure black-and-white gray, or that 
with a purplish cast is usually very distinguished with gray 
hair. 

It is a mistake for elderly women to swathe themselves 
in black, beHeving it the only suitable thing for age. It 
brings out the sallowness and grayness of a dull skin and 
deepens all the shadows and wrinkles. It is becoming to 
those only who are fair, with plump, unlined faces. Mrs. 
Russell says: *' Certain white-skinned, dark-haired women 
look well in black, but it ages any woman who has passed 
thirty. . . . Certain lines come with time, and time forms 



508 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

character, but it is needless to advertise one's age by means 
of black gowning." When flesh has come with age, it is 
better to choose dark shades which render it less con- 
spicuous. But the delicate elderly woman who has retained 
a measure of youthful slimmess should wear all soft and deli- 
cate colors that are becoming to her. She is often lovely in 
creamy white and lavender and in all pure grays. 

Usually dark women need deep, rich colors, and light- 
complexioned ones the medium and light shades; this be- 
ing in consonance with the harmonic law of corresponding 
shades. M. Blanc says: ''The color most becoming to a 
woman's beauty is generally that which is an indication of 
her character. A secret relationship exists between the 
moral temperament and the physical colors of the eyes, hair, 
and complexion. An involuntary harmony is at once es- 
tablished between the studied choice dictated by vanity, 
and that which results from the usual or a passing state of 
mind." This was written, however, before M. Blanc had 
had the privilege of seeing a woman wearing a yellow straw 
hat trimmed with ribbon, lace, and flowers running through 
the whole gamut of red, and having purple violets under 
the brim; the gown below the structure being serge in a 
bright shade of blue, finished at the neck with a green rib- 
bon! 

This is not an overdrawn picture, but actually seen. 
Query: What would M. Blanc have decided to be her moral 
temperament? 

The same critic suggests as an unfailing guide that the 
style of a woman's dress should harmonize wdth her nose. 
The strong, regular nose requires great simplicity with 
richness, long flowing lines, and slightly varied colors. To 
its opposite, the retrousse, belong piquant contrasts and all 
the frivolity and frou-frou of chiifon frills and silk ruffles. 

I would caution women against the use of very brilliant 
color in the street, and especially of sharp contrasts in 
colors. Two are the utmost that can be used vvith assurance 



PERSONAL CHOICE OF COLORS. 509 

of good effect; anything more is a venture and usually dis- 
astrous. The best effects, the most successful costumes, 
are those where the predominating key is either uniformity 
or the harmony of close analogy. Simplicity is not only 
always safe, but it is Ic trait vif, — the very quintessence of 
perfect taste and exquisite refinement in a woman's garb. 

'' It is harmony of color, grace of form, and fitness to the 
personality of the wearer that make a gown beautiful ; not 
richness, nor cost of ornament." It is unnecessary that as 
a rebound from the garish colors and eye-offending combi- 
nations of the past few seasons women should all rush into 
gray or black. There are a multitude of the quiet, har- 
monious tertiary colors, the olives, resedas, russets, chest- 
nut, puce, mulberry, and soft blues that are too choice to 
discard, and offer a wide field for selection; and all of them 
when chosen with discretion are available for street wear. 

The shape and form of a hat or bonnet are as important 
as the color. A woman with a small chin should not over- 
balance it with top-heavy breadth in her hat. She should 
wear a modest little toque fitting itself to the shape of the 
head, and the height of the trimming should be balanced 
by her own height. A tall woman does not need a steeple 
hat. It is the heavy chin and large face only, that can 
safely support the large, heavily trimmed hat. Coarse, 
thick lips are accentuated greatly by thick, roll-like whirls 
of trimming round a hat, and by thrusting the round brim 
low down over the eyes. The large face and small head, 
with greater height than breadth, must avoid the narrow 
capotes which are trimmed to a point. They need breadth 
at the sides. Hats should be tried on before a triple-folding 
mirror, and this should be the first luxury in which a 
woman indulges for her dressing-room. The outlines of a 
hat as seen from the back and in profile are hardly less im- 
portant than the front view, and many atrocious hats would 
never be proudly flaunted on the street if only their wearers 
could see the side view presented to their neighbors. 



5IO THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Costume must be recognized as Nature's adjunct, and it 
will be successful and artistically beautiful in the measure 
that it follows her lines. In the fifteenth century the definite 
movement towards elegance in dress, begun in the previous 
one, was perfected with a delicate and rational taste which 
seized upon the important principle of suiting the garment 
in its cut to the lines of the human figure; and thus de- 
veloped fashions of great elegance and picturesqueness, 
composed of both clinging and stif¥ materials of extreme 
richness and beauty. But they were not alone costly and 
sumptuous; they were also distinguished for their suitability 
and appropriateness, and for the fact that all ages were 
clothed with equal propriety and attractiveness. 

In writing of this period, Theodore Child (" Mirror of 
Fair Women") sounds this warning: ''They who from 
negligence, idleness, or conceit disdain any part of this rich 
legacy of the past are necessarily incompletely civilized, 
and, therefore, obstacles to the regular development of the 
civilized community to which they belong. No woman of 
wealth, refinement, and leisure, whose privilege it is to ex- 
hibit to admiring contemporaries the calm spectacle of her 
beauty, can neglect the precious suggestions which the 
painters of the fifteenth century of¥er for the advantageous 
display of natural charms set ofif by admirable costume. In 
that fascinating epoch the best-dressed women were the 
most intelligent and the most highly cultured." 

There can with propriety be as great a difference between 
out-of-door dress and that worn indoors as between a 
woman's boudoir and the outside of her house. Extreme 
picturesqueness and artistic effect are desirable in home 
dress. There, the graceful folds of the trained gown add 
dignity and poetry of motion, and many details of decora- 
tion and elaboration which are an abomination and vulgar 
in the street can appropriately brighten the house-gown or 
be worn for social occasions. 

Right here we find the Alpha and Omega of jewel-wear- 



CONCERNING THE WEARING OF JEWELS. 5 II 

ing, as also the use of all the glittering and shimmering 
ornament which is so marked a characteristic of the period. 
All these things are in atrocious taste on the street, where 
quietly becoming, conservative dress is imperative. The 
only appropriate field for their display is with home dress 
or in the social world. A proper restraint, even here, gov- 
erns their artistic and successful use. No woman who un- 
derstands the first principles of correct dressing will run the 
risk of letting the sparkle and lustre of precious stones 
eclipse her own charms. 

The harmony of colors is an important matter to con- 
sider in the selection and in the wearing of jewels. The 
fastidious woman makes a study of this ; is very careful not 
to kill her gowns by adding to her costume inappropriate 
ones ; and, oftener than not, she fixes her affections on one 
or two stones, and wears them to the exclusion of all others. 
It is in much better taste to have a small but unique collec- 
tion of semi-precious stones, than to buy, hit-or-miss, a 
jewel here, and another there, — containing, perhaps, some 
quite valuable stones of all sorts, diamonds, rubies, sap- 
phires, emeralds, and pearls, — which taken together har- 
monize not at all. Many women buy jewels as they buy 
vases and bric-a-brac; because, at the moment, the thing 
seizes their fancy. 

Quite as incomprehensible in its way, and as destructive 
of individuality, is the passion for variety which leads a 
woman of large wealth to acquire whole parnres of the most 
valuable stones. This shows the same fickleness of taste 
that never restricts itself to becoming colors, but buys every- 
thing the dyer's skill concocts or the manufacturer chooses 
to launch upon the market. A few fine, pure stones are al- 
ways a better choice than many inferior ones ; but it is very 
possible to exceed the beauty-size in the selection of dia- 
monds. Great blazing solitaires quite outshine the woman, 
and Fashion vouchsafed the most gracious concession to 
good taste that she has yielded in many a day when it 



512 



THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 



pleased the fickle dame to frown on fastening these head- 
lights to dainty ears. The beauty of the diamond is best . 
brought out in combination with other gems ; and small 
stones of fine color — a bluish cast to the white — are much 
more becoming than larger ones of inferior lustre. 

Imitation jewelry is a craze which has done much to de- 
prave taste in recent years, and woman's immoderate passion 
for gewgaws betrays her into the grievous error of express- 
ing in her own person the distracting medley of a bric-a- 
brac shop. Few women realize that the money thus squan- 
dered in a year would, in very many cases, pay for one really 
choice and valuable ornament. It was a beautiful thought 
which led one father and mother gifted with canny fore- 
sight, to give to their baby daughter Marguerite, on her 
first birthday, a single fine pearl. Mates to it followed on 
succeeding birthdays, till the fair young girl, when eighteen, 
had a lovely strand for her neck. A somewhat similar idea 
was the birthday gift to another girl baby of a single strand 
of seed pearls, which was added to year by year, growing 
with the child and always a suitable ornament for her, till 
when she reached young maidenhood they were mounted 
with turquoise-set clasps and medallions, and made a beau- 
tiful collar. 

There is an ethical as well as aesthetic reason for tabooing 
the ostentatious display of jewels on the street and in public 
conveyances. Ungloved, be-ringed fingers, and a multitude 
of glittering chains, dazzling pins, and jingling defacements 
— miscalled " ornaments " — are not merely the stamp of the 
vulgar woman, but a blatant and assertive proclamation of 
wealth before our poorer, and sometimes very weak, 
brothers and sisters, whose worst passions of covetousness, 
envy, jealousy, and discontent, are roused by the spectacle. 

Even at home, the wearing of finger-rings is easily over- 
done. Refined taste draws the line at one ring only on the 
right hand; and until last year, an unwritten law forbade 
the wearing of a ring on the index-finger, of either hand, 



SOME HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS. 513 

any more than on the thumb. Some daring grande dame 
introduced this, however, as a fad, and we can only hope it 
will not be widely copied. 

In one of his lectures on dress, Edmund Russell gives 
some valuable general suggestions : " A tall, angular woman 
wants something light and floating — a material that will 
follow every movement, multiplying lines and obliterating 
angles. Proper radiation of lines has everything to do with 
the grace and expression of a gown. The shoulders and 
hips are natural points of support. Let the drapery fall from 
these, and the result is a series of long, curving radiations 
that give life and beauty. With every change of position 
there is a new series of lines, all free to follow the swing and 
sway of movement. . . . Revealed form is vulgar, sug- 
gested form is poetic. . . . For a woman of light physique, 
delicate coloring, vitality, energy, and movement, any drap- 
ing, clinging material — soft wool or lustrous silk — has a 
peculiar adaptation. The hard, stiff forms of the old bro- 
cades, with their prosaic, stencil-like patterns and strong 
contrasts of colors, suit but few women. They destroy 
poetic suggestiveness. A large, stately woman may wear 
them ; a small woman, light and willowy, fuust not ; it is a 
sin against herself." 

Large women require dark and rich fabrics, with long, 
sweeping lines, suggesting the form but never defining it. 
Thus clothed they will achieve much dignity and apparently 
lose pounds of flesh. After having found a style of cut and 
drapery that is becoming, they can ring many changes upon 
it without material departure; and they should no more be 
tempted to adopt such crucially trying vagaries as the pres- 
ent modes than they would consent to figure in a skirt 
dance. Plaids are the large woman's undoing ; and, indeed, 
they are not fitted for woman's wear as, whether gay tartans 
or monotones, they are devoid of all dignity or grace. The 
complicated and uneven hatching up of blocks and dashes 
of vivid color prevents all unity, and they should be reserved 



514 THE WOMAX BEAUTIFUL. 

for children's use. For myself, I don't know why they are 
ever made. They add nothing to the beauty or enjoyment 
of life, and to its comfort onlv in the form of a steamer rus: 
or wrap. 

Individuality, by which a woman can achieve the greatest 
beauty and distinction in her costume, has. of course, the 
widest opportunities in home and society dress. But it 
must never be accentuated to the point of eccentricity. It 
is such extremes that always defeat progress in every effort 
to convert women from their voluntary worship of the 
whimsical goddess at whose command they all smile or hop 
or bend or crook like so many automata rim by electricity ! 
There is a happy mean which, without following prevailing 
modes, except on those rare occasions when Dame Fashion 
has an inspiration and unites common sense and good taste, 
} et conforms sufficiently to them to avoid conspicuous sin- 
gularity; which is, in its turn, just as objectionable as the 
capricious dictator's whims. 

It is a grave mistake to think that '" any old thing " will 
do for the privacy of the home circle. The Avearing of 
shabby, defaced finery is a shiftless habit which demoralizes 
both the wearer and her associates. Home gowns should 
be as exquisitely neat and dainty as any in the wardrobe, 
and a delicate sense of the fitness of things shoifid suit them 
in fabric and cut to their use. The gentlewoman wiU look 
a queen in a neat cotton gown, when she who thinks her 
worn-out silks serve the purpose as well, looks a shabby 
frump. 

The vv'hole subject of hygienic underclothing has been so 
thoroughly threshed out that there is nothing new to ad- 
vance in its favor. The important ser^'ice it renders to both 
health and comfort has been so widely discussed that most 
women amenable to the influence of new thought and new 
ways have yielded their prejudices, when they had any, and 
adopted it. to their great advantage in multiform ways. 
These women would no more 'return to the old stvle of 



THE TASTEFULLY DRESSED WOMAN. 5 15 

shapeless garments, which were tight only where they ought 
to have been loose, than they wovild submit to be put in 
swaddling clothes. This valuable reform has not only freed 
woman's body but her hands as well; for modern condi- 
tions of fabrication, together with the adoption of the hy- 
gienic knitted underwear, have lifted from her the great bur- 
den of the " white sewing " which formerly consumed weeks 
of time. 

I will enter into no discussion of fabrics, for that question 
has to be decided by peculiarities of taste and constitution. 
There are many who believe that silk is the pleasantest and 
most healthful, and in the long run, most economical of all 
the knitted fabrics worn next the skin. But there are large 
numbers who find in wool the best protection against the 
vagaries of our changing climate; while others prefer merino 
— cotton and wool mixed — and still others cotton. Both 
silk and wool are more absorbent than cotton or linen and 
prevent chilling after perspiration induced by exercise ; 
hence, have great advantages over the other fabrics. There 
are very many persons whose sensitive skins resent the wear- 
ing of wool, the irritation it produces never subsiding; in 
such cases it is positively injurious, and Nature's hint to 
adopt something else should be obeyed. That painful afiflic- 
tion chilblains is frequently caused by wearing woolen, and 
even fine merino, hose. 

In nothing is the dainty, refined woman more particular 
than m the selection of her lingerie; and to be thoroughly 
well-dressed there is an unwritten law that what is unseen — 
les dessoiis — should be finer in quality and of its kind than 
the outside clothing. The French lavish the utmost ingenuity 
and the most exquisite handicraft on these garments, and 
their products are marvels of microscopic embroidery and 
fascinating lace frills. But the fastidious woman shuns 
over-elaboration, and if she indulges in these miracles of 
skill she does not take the public into her confidence. The 
trailing silk petticoat, with its foot-deep flounce of accor- 



5l6 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

dion-plaited lace run with bright-hued ribbons, is not seen 
on her, for all her belongings are dainty and specklessly 
fresh; so chosen as to harmonize with the whole toilette; 
and so adjusted as to convey the impression that use was 
considered in their selection. Therefore, she does not wear 
a ball petticoat in the street any more than she would wear 
a tailor-gown to a ball. From her toes to the crown of her 
head the true gentlewoman's toilette evinces the most scru- 
pulous fastidiousness as to the fitness of things, one to an- 
other and the whole to the occasion. And the tout ensemble 
is so happy a medium of perfection, that the trained artistic 
eye alone singles it out in the crowd ; while the public, 
overlooking the diamond of purest water, fixes its bold gaze 
upon a flamboyant arrangement of paste. 



CHAPTER XV. 

nature's blest restorer: sleep. 

" Of all the thoughts of God that are 
Borne inward unto souls afar, 

Along the Psalmist's music deep, 
Now tell me if that any is, 
For gift or grace, surpassing this — 

He giveth his beloved sleep ? " 

"Canst thou, O partial sleep, .give thy repose 
To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude; 
And in the calmest and the stillest night, 
With all appliances and means to boot, 
Deny it to a king ? " 

It is axiomatic that perfect health cannot exist without 
regular and restful sleep, proportioned in amount to the age 
and to the demands which life makes upon the individual. 
The want of it inflicts so rapid and so defacing inroads upon 
woman's beauty that there is no part of the healthful regula- 
tion of her life which should receive more serious consid- 
eration; yet I question if there is any other which is treated 
in so happy-go-lucky a fashion. 

A large part of the world goes to bed when it cannot con- 
trive any further expedient for stavmg off sleep. Those 
who are freest to order their lives in a healthful manner 
turn night into day from preference; in quite sublime in- 
difference to the beautiful arrangement of Nature, which 
furnishes us a perfect model by which to regulate our 
habits, leavmg nothing to blind chance or ignorant experi- 

517 



5l8 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

ment. It is generally conceded by those who have passed 
any length of time in the Arctic regions, either during the 
long summer day or the weird night of winter, that the hu- 
man system suffers more from the want of the periodical 
alternation of day and night than from the severity of the 
climate. The prolonged night produces a depression that 
ultimates in irritability, affecting the mind and morals as 
much as the body. And the ever-present sunshine of end- 
less day stimulates the brain unnaturally, making restful 
sleep always difficult and for some impossible. 

Thus Nature points out the best way, and though her 
rules are never iron-clad, she admonishes us to violate them 
only when necessity requires. " Sleep is the mystery of 
life," and though much learned nonsense about it and many 
attempts at its diagnosis find their way into print every year, 
it is rare that the search of the earnest inquirer is rewarded 
with the smallest scrap of anything new or actually original 
upon the subject. Harrowing experiments are still made 
upon helpless dumb creatures to corroborate or disprove 
physiological beliefs over which there is much waste of 
hair-splitting argument; but which, one way or the other, 
contribute not one atom to the most important questions of 
all: Why is sleep next in importance to the rhythmical 
beating of the heart and to breathing? and Why can we 
not sleep when we most need to? As bearing upon these 
the discussion of whether anaemia — the withdrawing of 
blood from the brain — causes sleep or is the effect of it has 
no value whatever. 

With a sympathetic grasp of psychological fact, M. Amiel 
refers to this greatest boon to mankind as '' This symbol 
of creation, sleeping under the wing of God . . . our con- 
sciousness withdrawing into the shade that it may rest from 
the burden of thought." And he analyzes its benefits in 
these words: "To sleep is to strain and purify our emo- 
tions, to deposit the mud of life, to calm the fever of the 
soul, to return into the bosom of maternal nature, thence to 



NATURE INDICATES THE NECESSITY FOR SLEEP. 519 

reissue healed and strong. Sleep is a sort of innocence and 
purification. Blessed be He who gave it to the poor sons 
of men as the sure and faithful companion of life, our daily 
healer and consoler." 

Perfect, restful sleep is indispensable for the harmonious 
activity of the complicated, highly organized nervous sys- 
tem; upon whose integrity depends all efficient labor, 
whether physical or mental. But so generally are hygienic 
laws violated in practice, although acknowledged in theory, 
that, even among people of average health, there are many 
who pass through life without the slightest realization of 
the exhilaration and positive joy in living which really re- 
cuperative sleep can brixig to one, and which should be felt 
always upon awakening. It is the exception to find persons 
who are ready to rise when they waken or who are eager to 
take up the duties of the day, even when those duties are 
of a nature that should make them ab)Solute pleasures. Too 
often, even with those who are in average health, the morn- 
ing awakening is as from a heavy stupor, and frequently 
there is a feeling of greater exhaustion than when the head 
was laid on the pillow at night, although the sleep may have 
been unbroken. 

These symptoms, together with headache or a congestive 
sensation of fulness over the forehead, and swelling of the 
face or eyehds, are an indication that the conditions of sleep 
were unfavorable. In ten cases out of twelve all of this dis- 
comfort may prove to result from inhaling vitiated air, the 
blood being heavy with the lethargy of its poison; it is 
possible also that the temperature of the room was too hot 
or too cold; either extreme is pernicious. There is no more 
insidious evil than bad air, and it is the source of most of 
humanity's suffering. Just because we breathe more 
slowly during sleep is the rule imperative that every breath 
inhaled should be as free as possible from carbonic-acid gas, 
and unless there is a current of fresh, pure air entering the 
room and keeping the air in motion it cannot be so. It is 



520 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

vain to suppose that a bedroom can be aired by receiving a 
modicum of fresh air from an adjoining room unless there 
is an opposite door or window to create a current. Without 
this the exhalations from the sleeper will hover over the bed 
till they form a dense blanket of impurity. The stupid in- 
sensibility which is induced by foul air is not sleep, but a 
heavy unconsciousness, similar to other poison-induced 
conditions, as when strong narcotics are taken; and it is 
not restorative, but, on the contrary, exhausting. 

That bugbear of the half-enlightened, a draught, has 
killed more people than all the epidemic fevers that ever 
scourged mankind. But its death is less swiftly kind; it 
kills by inches. Persons with weak lungs, who are mis- 
takenly supposed to be most sensitive to fresh air, are the 
ones who need it most. Impure air is the parent of all 
colds and most throat and lung diseases. Tuberculosis 
patients have gone to Arizona and recovered their health 
while sleeping out-doors eight months in the year. There 
should not only be an ample supply of fresh air in the sleep- 
ing-room, but there should be in the room no avoidable 
sources of contaminating it. No soiled water should stand 
in the room overnight; putrefaction is always rapid, and 
especially so in hot weather. A little fresh water should 
be left standing in all stationary basins and bathtubs to 
securely close the vent, and it is a wise precaution to seal 
the overflow holes w^ith a bit of wet paper. All the plumb- 
ing pipes should be flushed at frequent intervals with ap- 
proved disinfectants. 

When, under the most favorable circumstances, a well- 
aired, quiet room and a comfortable bed, neither too soft 
nor too hard (a good hair-mattress cannot be improved 
upon), sleep has not been refreshing, look for the reason 
within yourself, and be not sat^'sfied till it is found and 
remedied: for you are defrauding yourself and only half- 
living till you have learned what measure of health, 
serenity, and enduring strength can be obtained through 



CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR RESTFUL SLEEP. 52 1 

normal sleep. To waken tired in the morning should be 
considered a danger-signal as much as insomnia. Sleep 
should be a state of perfect rest; and all the surroundings 
should be so conditioned as to favor complete, undisturbed 
repose. There should be nothing upon the mind, no duty 
carried which requires awaking at a given hour or attention 
to a given signal, because this implies that the sub-con- 
sciousness must be alert. " Let the book of life be closed, 
even on a blotted page, before sleep is sought." 

Undisturbed repose is vital nourishment to both body 
and mind; but, in order to obtain the coordination of our 
complex organization, healthful use and activity are neces- 
sary. It is the want of this which causes disturbed sleep, 
nightmiare, dreams, and insomnia. The secret of preserv- 
ing a proper equilibrium, in the waste and wear and the re- 
pair of body and mind, is to make the exercise of the one 
the relaxation of the other. That is, the brain-worker must 
find his relaxation in physical exercise, and those engaged 
in manual labor should find their pleasure in some use of 
the brain. 

As explained in a previous chapter, the exhaustion of 
brain-work is twofold and much more rapid than that of 
manual labor. The waste of nerve and muscle is very great, 
while the inaction of the body encourages torpidity of all 
the organs of elimination. It is suicidal to urge on the lan- 
guid brain with stimulants which make dangerous drafts 
on capital. At the first sign of fatigue it is an economy of 
time and strength to take the proverbial '' forty winks." A 
caution, however, is necessary against the demoralizing 
habit of dozing. Sometimes this is the sole cause for dis- 
turbed, light sleep, as farther explanations will prove. 

Sleep is a more complicated function than is generally 
understood. Fatigue of the muscles alone is not sufficient; 
fatigue of consciousness is also demanded; and the whole 
sympathetic system of nerves has to be lulled into qui- 
escence before general sleep can be induced to seal the 



522 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

senses in blessed oblivion. Remember that these mys- 
terious organs, the nerves, ''belong in their nature to the 
unknown sources of the lightning, the electric currents of 
the universe." Intense emotion provokes an intense ex- 
penditure of nervous force, destroying its rhythmical flow; 
hence, producing irritation. 

As a great many people know and as the most skillful 
physicians are now ready to acknowledge, medicine is of no 
avail for this condition. It is only from within that we can 
arrest this nervous scattering of forces which wrecks the 
lives of so many American women. It is the soul which 
commands the nerves and is supreme in the central ofhce, 
and it alone can restore the harmonious, rhythmical flow of 
vital force. If we " think but deep enough," we think not in 
vain. 

"All we have willed or hoped or dreamed of good, shall exist; 
Not its semblance, but itself; no beauty, nor good, nor power 
Whose voice has gone forth, but each survives for the melodist; 

When eternity confirms the conception of an hour." 

" The law for beauty and the law for perfect health are 
the same. Both depend entirely on the state of your mind; 
or, in other words, on the kind of thoughts you most put 
out and receive." 

Healthful sleep is muscular; and, when perfect, it lures 
both the supreme and subordinate cerebral centres — that is, 
consciousness and subconsciousness — to rest at the same 
time. This is induced by reciprocal action of both physique 
and mind, both exercised to the point of useful fatigue, and 
not beyond that. The brain-worker who does not take suffi- 
cient exercise to stimulate the transformation of tissues in 
the muscular system and induce that healthful fatigue 
which is the natural effect of natural cause will often se- 
cure no deeper sleep than that called '' cerebral," which is 
much allied to that produced by narcotics and hypnotism. 
Dreams which continue the work and worry of the day 
often accompany this sort of sleep, because " the lesser 



EQUAL FATIGUE OF BODY AND MIND NECESSARY. 523 

faculties in the domain of subconsciousness are not wearied, 
and they toy with the business which is, so to say, left un- 
finished in the mind; and wondrously pain-giving havoc 
they too commonly produce." 

Too often, the nervous balance is ill-established, and " the 
most insignificant cause may provoke a dissolution in the 
grauping of cerebro-nervous elements." This condition 
exists both when the brain is not exercised properly, in 
legitimate stimulating labor, or when it is fagged with 
worry or overtaxed. It is not alv\^ays the amount of work 
that harms, but, rather, the friction attending the work, that 
wears out nerves. One consequence is light, broken slum- 
ber, disturbed by the slightest noise because the super-sen- 
sitive nerves feel the shock of the least vibration. This is 
harmful, affording little more opportunity for the repair of 
tissues than sleeplessness. But still worse is the nightmare 
caused by sound sleep of the motor system, governed by 
subconsciousness which hatches all manner of evil things, 
while the consciousness is half-awake, and exhibits the phe- 
nomenon of double consciousness. This sort of nightmare 
has no connection with indigestion, but may at any time 
fright the overwearied brain. The will-power is here " con- 
sciously impotent, hence the feeling of distress," says Mor- 
timer-Granville. 

In the highly strung nervous organization, the separate 
nervous systems are kept in so high a tension that their 
sympathy is only one of excitement, and they are less closely 
knit than in robust constitutions or in persons of phleg- 
matic temperament. Consequently, " when one organ 
needs rest the others are not so easily lured to repose. . . . 
Those natures we call ' sensitive ' are morbidly excitable, be- 
cause there is a want of equilibrium between their several 
component parts." There is unequal development in dif- 
ferent parts of the system, hence want of harmony in their 
relations with the brain ; and a state of semi-anarchy pre- 
vails, some organs being in open rebellion. 



5 24 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Dozing, which is but hah-sieep, promotes disturbed 
action between the different ner^*e-centres by giving to some 
nerves all the rest they need. It demoralizes both mind and 
will-power, robbing its victim of self-control. The half- 
doing of any thing is iniquitous in its results, and saps all 
the foundation stones of success. People who doze in the 
evening coddle insomnia ; and those Avho doze in the morn- 
ing woo headaches, dullness, and weariness. 

There is everything in the formation of a habit of sleep. 
The better trained the nerA'ous system is to this the more 
perfect and restful will be the' sleep; for it is a rhythmical 
function and only habit can perfect it, just as raw recruits 
cannot march like trained soldiers till they have been drilled 
into a habit which carries them along in rhythmical mo- 
tion. " The law of the harvest is to reap more than you 
sow : sow an act. and you reap a habit : sow a habit, and 
you reap a character ; sow a character, and you reap a des- 
tiny." 

The more systematically we can bring ourselves to per- 
form our daily duties the easier it will be to acquire an or- 
derly habit, throughout the complicated nervous and mus- 
cular systems, of yielding obedience to the command for 
repose. Haphazard methods of work result in disorder and 
a sort of free-for-all, run-as-you-please form of action in the 
different nerve-centres. Sensitive and emotional women 
are habitually poor sleepers, because they live at the mercy 
of their ner\-es. controlled only by a misdirected will in- 
stead of a well-poised brain. Freedom of will was bestowed 
upon man as a servant of reason, and when we promote it 
to the dangerous authority of Dictator it too often makes 
unbridled use of the power. This mysterious force, by 
whose aid we can scale the heights of elysium, drags us to 
the depths of despair when the guiding hand of reason is 
withdrawn, and its merciless waste of nerve-force is the 
cause of most ner^-ous disorders, proving them to be self- 
inflicted. 



FORMS OF ENERGY-WASTERS. 525 

"You purchase Pain with all that Joy can give, 
And die of nothing but a rage to live." 

It is a misapprehension to suppose that the reckless ex- 
penditure of nerve-force is confined to the higher class of 
workers. Those who are perfectly free to order their lives 
in the most healthful manner squander it quite as freely 
and more senselessly; some being bond-slaves to pleasure 
and others to so-called " energy " or " industry." That 
much-vaunted habit of saving time by always having ready 
a bit of pick-up work must be viewed from two standing- 
points : The woman who is exposed to many neighborly 
interruptions or in whose family there is one laggard who 
always delays the starting on any expedition whatsoever, 
may find in the ready bit of employment for her fingers an 
anchor for her patience during hours that would otherwise 
be frittered away. But she who carries the habit to the point 
of always keeping her fingers busy, whether at lecture, read- 
ing, or musical, is making a merciless draught on her nerves 
which performs no small part in precipitating the inevitable 
breakdown. 

Such incessant activity, beyond all the necessary expendi- 
ture of force in the unavoidable work of life, is one of the 
ways in which many women are committing slow suicide 
every day of their lives. This sort of employment is wasted 
energy. It is trying to do two things at one time, neither 
of which will be done well. Neither mind nor soul will 
derive the same benefit from the supposed entertainment 
or instruction that would be possible if undivided attention 
were given. Then, aside from this, the constant motion of 
the fingers and hands wears upon the nerves and their head- 
centre, the soul. A besetting sin against self with a host of 
women is that of considering fancy-work rest, than which 
there is no more fatiguing work for the eyes and part of the 
body. 

There are a host of physical automatisms which contrib- 
ute their part in many lives as energy-wasters : of these are 



526 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

all tricks of unmeaning, idiosyncratic motions ; the trotting 
of feet, tapping fingers on a chair-arm, fingering of personal 
ornaments, and constant winking or facial grimaces; or 
those mental habits of counting telegraph poles and fence 
posts when travelling, and tracing out designs in wall- 
paper or carpets. It is necessary to recognize all these habits 
for what they are : squanderers of nervous and muscular 
energy. 

There is an old saying that '" if you are careful of it, 
Glass will last as long as Iron." Xervous, delicate women 
should take it to heart, and remember that, if only they 
exercise them sufficiently, their brains are in most cases as 
strong as those of robust men, and through them they can 
command their unruly nerves. They will find an inestimable 
restorative power in wide-awake repose, which thousands 
of women have never in their Uves learned how" to enjoy; 
and a ten minutes' rest in a recumbent posture, with every 
muscle and nerve relaxed, does wonders for a woman whose 
nen'es are on the frazzled edge. There is not only the re- 
lease from tension, which is the breathing-time of the soul, 
but the position encourages the normal activity of the digest- 
ive organs and increases the energy of the circulatory sys- 
tem. \Mien you have learned to call upon your soul for 
needed strength instead of misusing your will-power, vou 
will find that you can accomplish the same tasks with half 
the expenditure of nerve-force. There is a serenity, a re- 
poseful confidence, accompanying all effort under the soul's 
direction that is a balm to hurt nerves. 

Hippocrates traced the origin of all disease to mal- 
nutrition. It was his belief that the first specific for health 
was to find out " What to eat. what to drink, and what to 
avoid''; because, from improper aliment, ''pains, diseases, 
and death arise"; while from the selection of that which 
agrees with the constitutional peculiarities " growth and 
health arise." But, in the last quarter of a century, there 
has developed a form of disease which is so much more 



IMPERATIVE NECESSITY OF NERVE-CONTROL. 527 

acute in the United States than anyw^here else in the world, 
that it has received the generic name Americanitus; though 
it is subdivided into a score or more of nervous disorders 
that war with the mental and moral systems till they are 
wrecked. 

The reason that Americans are greater sufferers from 
these distressing and baffling diseases than any other people 
is found in the manner in which we live and think, all our 
acts being accomplished in an habitual state of pernicious 
hurry and excitement. 

Referring to this habit, that bright American who 
masqueraded as a Frenchman when he wished to tell his 
countrymen some home truths, says: *' It is considered 
symbolical of success to ' have no time ' ! While the very 
test of true success is, of course, to prove yourself master of 
time; for if one is the slave of time, he is perforce the slave 
to the thousand and one devils that haste has in its train." 

It is doubtful if this anomalous condition of self-inflicted 
suffering ever baffled the skill of Hippocrates, who expected 
to find a mens sana in corpore sano. It often happens, now, 
that the physique is well-nurtured and cared for when 
nerves and brain are recklessly overtaxed. And when the 
nervous cohapse comes, it is a perfectly sound body that 
has to be worn out before death relieves the sufferer, which, 
under the circumstances, simply makes the condition more 
pitiable; for oftener than otherwise years of intense suffer- 
ing follow. The living death of a nervous wreck is one of 
the most pitiable spectacles that we ever encounter, and 
destroys the happiness of more homes than actual death 
ever does. 

Continued wakefulness is an alarming departure from 
the normal physiological order of life, and it is attended 
with so grave consequences that it should receive the most 
serious consideration. The cases most to be feared are 
those which are usually treated as of the least consequence, 
when no adequate cause for the condition in habits of life 



528 ' THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

or apparent physical or mental state can be discovered. 
These are the very ones which are precursors of serious dis^ 
orders of the brain and nerves, as meningitis, typhoid fever, 
and insanity. The increasing prevalence of the trouble 
should excite earnest attention, but, except among nerve- 
specialists, who recognize insomnia as a serious menace to 
health and longevity, there are few who seem to appreciate 
at all the grave peril to humanity in these painful signs that 
sleep is fast becoming a lost art. 

In not a few cases the originating cause is trivial in com- 
parison with the disastrous efifects which ensue when this 
abnormal condition becomes a fixed habit. But just as in- 
somnia grows more and more a destroying monster when 
it is left to run its course, so is it possible in a great many 
cases, probably the majority, to prevent it, or even to over- 
come it, by cultivating a habit of restful sleep. 

'' When a certain series of nervous acts have once taken 
place, there is a tendency to their repetition, the tendency 
growing stronger and stronger as the number of repetitions 
is increased." It is because of this law that the careful use 
of certain narcotics is, at times, beneficial, for they break 
up the habit of insomnia and set up the nervous impulse 
which prompts to natural sleep. The habitual use of any 
sedatives, however, is most pernicious. They should never 
be used more than two or three nights in succession, else 
the system will learn to depend upon the artificial sugges- 
tion. All narcotics and sedatives act, in only lesser degree, 
like anaesthetics and are really hypnotic, simply producing 
a state of unconsciousness resembling sleep. The drug acts 
directly upon the cellular structure of the brain, reducing 
the molecular movements by a sedative action. The benefit 
Is, that the stupor thus produced often passes into a natural 
sleep after the poison of the drug has been eliminated from 
the blood and its influence is entirely dissipated. 

This fact should never be lost sight of and should govern 
the choice of the drug used. From the data I have ob- 



CONDITIONS THAT WARRANT THE USE OF NARCOTICS. 529 

tained, sulphonal is the safest and least harmful of these 
remedies, as there are positively no after-efifects. It quickly 
disappears itself, and is usually followed by natural, restful 
sleep; it sets up no craving for a repetition of the dose; or, 
worse still, for a stronger one; and it really seems to act 
only as a staf¥ for the exhausted nerves while they gather 
strength to act alone. The use of opium, morphine, chloral, 
and chlorodyne for this purpose cannot be too strongly 
condemned. It is very generally recognized that the first 
three are edged tools whose use is warranted only when 
life is at stake. But chlorodyne is prescribed by reputable 
physicians for nervous women suffering from headache, ex- 
haustion, and incipient ails, when they would not dream of 
giving any other of this dangerous quartette. Yet, as a 
matter of fact, it yields nothing in point of insidious after- 
effects to the others, and creates a morbid craving quite as 
difficult to overcome. 

Chlorodyne is a powerful anodyne compounded of mor- 
phine, chloroform, prussic acid, and Indian hemp, flavored 
with sugar and peppermint. Someone has said there are 
forty grains of morphine in an ounce of chlorodyne, but 
this statement I cannot vouch for. What I can affirm posi- 
tively is, that once an appetite for the poison is formed there 
is a constant craving for increased doses, — often an ounce 
or more a day is taken, — and also for alcoholic stimulants 
of all and any sorts, the stronger the better. The sense of 
taste becomes so dulled and jaded by its use, that many men 
could not swallow without a grimace the doses that delicate 
women take without the quiver of an eyelash. It weakens 
the moral sense even more than morphine and opium, and 
afifects the brain so seriously that the resulting excitability 
cannot readily be distinguished from organic insanity. 

The supposed harmlessness of the stuf¥ has led me to 
this expose of its true character, for no woman knowing its 
nature would voluntarily swallow the first drop of it. Its 
sale ought to be as cautiously restricted as is that of all 



53© THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

Other poisons, but at present it can be purchased at any 
chemist's as readily as a cake of soap. There is no dispute 
ing the fact that drugs have much to answer for in the suf- 
ferings of humanity. Fifty-one diseases are caused by 
mercury; which has been known to Hnger in the system ten 
years, and then by some chemical change cause serious 
illness. It is affirmed that this so-called medicine alone has 
made more cripples than all wars combined. An English 
physician, Dr. Mason Good, once declared that " Drugs 
have destroyed more lives than war, pestilence, and famine 
combined," and Sir Astley Cooper said: "The science of 
medicine is founded on conjecture, and improved by mur- 
der." Of like mind was our Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes 
when he made this assertion: " I firmly believe that if the 
whole Materia Medica, as now used, could be sunk to the 
bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for mankind 
and all the worse for the fishes." 

As the doctors themselves say these hard things against 
their dangerous agents, we ought to find in their opinions 
a caution to use them with extreme care, and not to rush 
to a potion of some sort for the relief of every trifling pain. 
Nature, if we would but admit her influence, is nurse and 
medicine in one, and has herself effected the most wonder- 
ful cures. Light, air, and color, charged as they all are 
with the yet but half-known force of psychic ether, are more 
enduring, more penetrating, and better adapted to restore 
to normal activity and strengthen the so sensitive and com- 
plicated human structure than the coarser elements of 
drugs; whose action is acknowledged to be that of counter- 
irritants, and which often leave pernicious after-effects which 
no human skill or foresight can anticipate or determine. 
The finer, natural forces aft'ect the nerves directly and thus 
influence the most delicate processes of life. 

I believe it is my privilege to give to suffering humanity 
a positive specific for the cure of insomnia without the use 
of any sedative or anodyne whatever. I waive all claim to 



A SPECIFIC FOR INSOMNIA. 53I 

the honor of having discovered this highway to the land of 
Nod; but that it is a broad highway, which I am firmly con- 
vinced is open to all sufiferers, has been proved by experi- 
ment. My personal investigations have been under circum- 
stances that warrant me in pronouncing the test one of un- 
usual severity. The remedy is so simple that I expect it to 
excite a doubting smile, but I am prepared to substantiate 
it with facts which prove that the ablest philosophers and 
scientists since the age of Plato have been feeling their way 
to the same conclusion. 

Selecting the most comfortable posture, one in which the 
body is perfectly relaxed and all tension withdrawn from 
nerves and muscles, you must let fall the shutters of your 
eyes and direct the glance upward as in devout prayer. 
Avoid the slightest effort in the act, as that would strain the 
nerves and defeat our purpose. If you are steadfast in look- 
ing upward, you will soon be conscious that consecutive 
thought is impossible; and in a few moments, unless dis- 
turbed by noise or other irritants, there will be the briefest 
blissful lingering on the border of slumberland, and then 
blessed sleep will enwrap you in its soothing folds. 

To encourage those who may not succeed at first, I will 
explain that I was myself baffled for a whole week, while 
I tried so hard that I effectually drove all sleep away and 
even slightly strained the muscles around the eyes, so they 
were sore to the touch (bathing with hot water quickly re- 
lieved them). But as soon as I simply looked upward, with- 
out any effort whatever, I achieved the promised result. 
For many weeks I wakened frequently (a confirmed habit 
resulting from years of aggravated insomnia, when the rififle 
of a fly's wings on the ceiling would waken me), but almost 
from the first I experienced the great relief, which all suf- 
ferers from insomnia will understand and appreciate, of not 
lying awake. So that even if roused a half-dozen or more 
times, I succeeded in getting a good deal of sleep. More 
than this, ere long I noticed that a different element had 



532 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

entered into my sleep. It is much more restful than I ever 
remember enjoying even when a child. And nothing that 
has ever been claimed concerning the force of habit proves 
it more conclusively than my experience, for within a 
month I began to see that my nerves were proving apt pu- 
pils in learning the pleasant trick of going to sleep as soon 
as they were released from duty. ^loreover, the test was 
begun and so successfully carried on while I was passing 
through intervals of quite unusual brain-fag and nervous 
exhaustion, which under the old order of things would have 
precipitated attacks of obstinate insomnia. 

So surprising and admirable results, achieving in a short 
time what years of persevering effort — aided by medical 
treatment, change of climate, weeks of travelling in vain 
search of quiet places where sleep was possible, and every 
other expedient usually prescribed for the poor victim of 
insomnia — had failed to more than temporarily relieve, con- 
vinced me that the process or method was Nature's own; 
and, hence, I endeavored to seek the physiological basis. 
The rationale I believe to be this: The upward turning of 
the eyes shuts ofif the current of vibratory force wdiich con- 
veys consciousness of outward things and control of 
thought to the brain. 

The strongest modern opinion which I have found bear- 
ing weight upon this theory is that of the German physician 
Dr. Rosenbaum ('' WaniDi viusscn z^'ir schlafenf" — Why 
must we sleep?), who believes that the action of the eye 
has an important office in producing sleep; and he fre- 
quently asks why the nerves of the eye are the only ones 
w^hich have any duty to perform in connection with sleep 
if this be not so. They are an exception to the rule that all 
the nerves of sense yield themselves involuntarily to the 
sway of sleep, but undergo no change. 

Known physiological facts are: that the eyes are always 
turned upw^ard during sleep, and that a sign of true sleep 
is the contraction of the pupils. The latter phenomenon, 



NATURE'S OWN METHOD OF INDUCING SLEEP. 533 

Mortimer-Granville suggests, " is probably produced by 
suspension of the sympathetic nerve action which holds the 
pupils dilated. The sympathetic system of nerves must 
lower, function throughout the body to a minimum, in the 
scale of energy, before general sleep can be established." 

Plato believed that the fire of the eye received from ex- 
ternal excitants was shared with the other senses, and that 
the closing of the eyelids excluding this soothed all to qui- 
escence. Modern science would call " the fire " vibratory 
force, and the great philosopher was speculating in the right 
direction. But he had not noticed that the most concen- 
trated thought can be pursued with the eyelids closed over 
eyes held normally or cast down! So it is not the shutting 
of the eyelids but the upward turning of the eye which 
severs connection with the distracting world, and induces 
that closer embrace of the Pia Mater, enfolding the brain, 
that is a phenomenon of sleep and is s.upposed to have some 
connection with it by lulling to rest. 

With reference to the amount of sleep necessary, one 
aspect of the subject is, perhaps, very generally unknown, 
certainly overlooked. Extremely energetic, strong people 
are quite apt to take a virtuous pride in limiting themselves 
to four or five hours of sleep, really grudging that and con- 
sidering more a disgraceful evidence of laziness and a rep- 
rehensible waste of time. Now, viewed simply from a purely 
material and hygienic point, it is an error. It is quite pos- 
sible to accustom yourself to so little sleep as to be greatly 
the loser thereby. It may not show immediately, but it will 
in the end. From seven to eight hours of sleep are needed 
by all people leading active lives, and brain-workers can 
least of all afiford to cut down their allowance. If for any 
reason it is occasionally necessary, it should be made up by 
extra sleep as soon as possible. Any other course under- 
mines the strength insidiously, and the penalty is invariably 
a breakdown of some sort. The severer the tasks imposed 
upon the brain, the more sleep it should be allowed. 



534 THE WOMAN BEAUTIFUL. 

But where are we in sleep, and why has Divine purpose 
imposed this state of obUvion upon us during a third of our 
Hves? Is it time wasted, or a season of growth? 

The ancients ahvays recognized a mysterious connection 
between the soul and sleep. lamblichus, head of the Neo- 
Platonists, believed " The night-time of the body is the day- 
time of the soul." 'y.h. John Bigelow takes this as the 
motto of his book *' The Mystery of Sleep/' in which he has 
accumulated many facts to support this beautiful, conifort- 
ing, and important theory. ''' ]\Ian is captured in sleep, not 
by death, but by his better nature." Our first thoughts 
upon awakening are often our best thoughts, the thoughts 
of inspiration; and there are few brain-workers who are 
not visited by inspirational moments, during the night, 
when if the thought is not seized and written down it proves 
as evanescent as a dream, and cannot be recalled by any 
process of conscious reasoning. 

Pliny the Younger believed sleep a withdrawal of the 
soul; which is only another way of saying that the soul 
has other and higher business to attend to, and must at 
stated intervals be relieved from the belittling distractions 
of worldly material things, that hamper its growth and dull 
all spiritual intuitions. ]\Ir. Bigelow reminds us " that 
sleep is never referred to in the Bible except with reference 
to some of the most vital processes of spiritual growth or 
regeneration.'' And he beheves " The Bible has scarcely 
less importance than is claimed for it by Bible Christians, 
in proving sleep to have been recognized in all ages as a 
prime factor and an indispensable condition to man's spir- 
itual evolution." 

If this be so it fully answers our first question concerning 
the importance of sleep; and I believe that, accepting the 
clue of the upturned eye as a finger-post pointing to the 
realm of sleep, no obstacle but a perverted will prevents our 
entrance thereto. 

With regard to early rising, Charles Lamb utters some 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE WORKING-MOMENT. 535 

words of wisdom. He had no ambition to be one of the 
sun's courtiers and attend his morning levees; and es- 
pecially he believed in a leisurely method of rising which 
gave time '' to collect the scattered rays of a brighter phan- 
tasm, ... to handle and examine the terrors, or the airy 
solaces " of our dreams. He entertained '* too much re- 
spect for these spiritual communications to let them go 
lightly." And he thought " The abstracted media of 
dreams seem no ill introduction to that spiritual presence 
upon which, in no long time, we expect to be thrown "; so 
he tried to spell in dreams '' the alphabet of the invisible 
world." 

A large volume would not suffice for the record of the 
wonders wrought by dreams. ' What is more probable than 
that in the strangely sweet oblivion of sleep our souls are 
admitted to sacred mysteries, and that sleep is revivifying 
and accomplishes its Divine purpose- in proportion as we 
possess our souls in serenity and confidence? It is in this 
state alone that life pulsates with joyful, vitalizing rhythm. 

ENVOI. 

As I bid my book God-speed, dear reader and friend, I 
would emphasize the purpose which has animated the writ- 
ing of it, by again repeating: " I want to help you to grow 
as beautiful as God meant you to be when he thought of 
you first." 



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